The New Girl
by indiabrittany
Summary: Olive moves to Japan with her mother and starts going to school with Yugi and his friends, just in time for the duelist kingdom tournament. (editing some chapters to get back into this story. Ch 11 is up.)
1. The Move

Chapter One

The fight was long and I wasn't overly fond of travelling by airplane to begin with. My mom met me at the airport at two in the afternoon. Well. She met a tired and very impolite version of her normally very civilized and happy daughter. Walking off of the airplane and into the humidity made me grumpy enough, but standing in customs for an hour and a half after that definitely didn't help. I hadn't wanted to make this move in the first place, but at sixteen, I legally had to move with my mother.

"Hey, baby!" my mom greeted me, with a happy grin on her face. Like always, she had gotten all dressed up just to leave the house. I had to repress the urge to roll my eyes at my mother. She couldn't leave the house without caking on the makeup and squeezing into her tight, fashionable clothes. She ran over to me, her heels clicking on the floor. I had no idea how she managed to run in those without killing herself. She was wearing a white halter top and the shortest, tightest green shorts I'd ever seen. They were high-waist shorts with gold buttons. And they were cute, but she looked way overdone. Her hair was done in lone, bottle blonde waves and her perfectly smooth skin was an enviable shade of tan. She smiled and pushed her big, white designer sunglasses on top of her head, revealing her dark green eyes. She pulled me into a hug.

"Hi there, Mom," I said, in a much less enthusiastic tone. I patted her back a couple of times and waited for her to let me go.

"Did you get your bags yet, darlin?" she asked. I could hear the slightest hint of her Alabama accent in her perfect LA voice.

I took a step back and spread out my arms to my sides. "Does it look like I have my bags yet?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

She smiled and wrinkled her nose before flicking mine. I jerked my head away from her, wrinkling my nose as well. "Don't you sass me, young lady," she said. "Aren't you excited to be here?"

I laughed a little. "Ecstatic, Mom," I said, grabbing one of my giant suitcases as it came around the conveyor belt. "You know how I _begged_ you to move here."

She smiled a little. "Sarcasm is the lowest form of humor," she said.

I smiled and grabbed my next suitcase, rather than reply. I didn't feel like arguing with her. About two months ago, my mother had been offered a job teaching English at a college in Japan. Rather than discuss it with me, she'd announced about two weeks ago that we were moving to another country. She'd already withdrawn me from my school after the term ended and enrolled me in a school in Japan. She'd bought the plane tickets and had scheduled a moving company to ship some of our furniture to us. The rest had been packed away in a storage unit. It would be an understatement to say that I was unhappy to hear the news.

But, two weeks after being informed, here I was, standing in an airport in Japan. I was wearing jeans I'd had for two years now that were full of rips and covered in my friends' signatures and notes. They'd all decided to sign my jeans when I'd told them that I was moving. I hadn't taken them off for about three days now. I was also wearing a tight black tank top and black flip flops. Nothing close to what my mother would have suggested wearing – even on a plane. My hair, which I usually kept straightened, was down and in messy, slightly frizzy waves. The humidity hadn't helped that. I had on no makeup, which my mom was quick to point out as she teased me, while helping me with my suitcases, all the way to the taxi.

I threw my four large suitcases into the back of the van-sized taxi and then climbed in next to my mother. She started talking to me about her new job. As scatterbrained and irresponsible as my mother could be, teaching was something that she loved and was very enthusiastic about. She'd been teaching for as long as I could remember. She spoke Japanese, Spanish, and French. She also owned two retail stores, which had always kept us in a nice house, in nice clothes, and given us the ability to go on decent vacations every year or so.

By the time we arrived at the house, I was so carsick that I couldn't wait to get out of the car. While I got my things out of the taxi, my mother paid the driver. I dragged my suitcases inside and left them by the door. Then I lay face down on the couch and groaned.

"You lazy little snip," my mother said, the first word she could think of that sounded a little bit like an insult.

"Mom!" I complained when she poked me with the toe of her shoe. "I'm so tired and so car sick!"

"Well, you can't sleep," she said, almost laughing.

"Yea?" I asked, turning my head to look at her. "And why is that?"

"Well," said my mom, in a very matter-of-fact way. "If you sleep after a long plane ride like that, you'll get your sleeping schedule all out of whack. There's a time difference here. We wouldn't want that, would we? You start school in five or six days, right?"

"Don't remind me," I groaned. "You would think that moving to a new country, I would get to avoid school for at least a month. Or a year."

My mom laughed. "You know, you're ridiculous," she said. "But, really, don't get your sleeping schedule all messed up. Here," she pulled some money out of her wallet. "Go on a walk. Go left. Turn left again and at the light a few blocks down, you'll run into some shops. Get some vegetables from the marketplace for dinner. Look around. Whatever. Have an adventure, baby."

"Is that an order?" I asked, standing up and taking the money.

My mother laughed. "Yes," she said. "It's an order."

"Fine," I said. I started towards the door.

"Aren't you going to change?" asked my mom.

I turned to look at her. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" I asked. "Maybe I'm going for a grungy sort of rock star vibe," I joked.

My mom looked me up and down and said, "Well you've definitely gotten the grunge look down."

I laughed and walked out the front door.


	2. Meeting Seto Kaiba

Chapter Two

My name is Olive Joy Reynolds. I have long, dark hair that naturally dries in loose waves, an olive skin tone, and my mother's dark green eyes. I am about five foot six with a naturally slim body that, from years of playing sports, has always been in good shape. Since I was young, I'd been in all kinds of dance, soccer, track, and swimming. When I turned fourteen, I started playing ice hockey and taking karate classes too. My mom had always been able to scrape together the money for every class I wanted to take. Between her businesses, teaching, and child support money from a dad I'd never seen or met, she'd always been able to give me nearly everything I'd wanted. I guess I was a little spoiled. I'd never been a spoiled brat though. My mother had never hesitated to give me a swift kick in the ass if I ever acted out.

As I walked, I tried to keep my mind busy, taking in all the buildings and the sight of this new place. I felt that if I stopped, even for a second, to think, I would fall asleep standing up.

When I finally reached the little market place my mom had been talking about, I slipped inside and paused for a minute to look around. I got a few curious looks, but ignored them, grabbing a basket and heading for the produce section.

After selecting a few vegetables and fruits that looked familiar, I got in line behind two or three other people and waited. Three guys and a girl, all of whom were talking loudly and laughing, fell in line behind me. I fought the urge to turn around and see who they were. I settled with just a glance instead, but I couldn't really see any definite features. I just noticed two blondes and two brunettes.

As I turned back to face the front of the store, the door jingled and a young boy with wild, shaggy black hair came running in the store.

"Hey! Ain't that the Kaiba brat?" asked one of the kids behind me.

"Yea, that's Mokuba," said one of the other guys.

"Why's he here alone?" one of them asked.

In the middle of asking the question, the door opened again and someone else walked in. He was older than the boy. He looked a couple years older than me. He was tall and slim with light brown hair and very blue eyes. He was wearing a dark blue jacket, which I couldn't understand, because it felt hotter than hell outside to me. For a split second, his eyes met mine and I could have sworn he gave me a small nod.

"Ah," said the guy behind me. "Should have known he wasn't here alone."

"Yea," said another one of the guys. "But Kaiba's the last guy I want to see here. Or anywhere for that matter."

The guy at the front of the store laughed softly, as if he'd heard the comment, and rolled his eyes.

His younger brother ran back to the front of the store with a bag of candies, a comic book, and a pack of gum. He talked quietly to the older guy, who I assumed was his brother, and talked to him quietly. His brother finally consented and a store associate escorted him to the front of the line.

Right in front of me.

"Excuse me," I said.

He ignored me.

I grabbed his shoulder. "Excuse me," I repeated, more loudly.

He turned to look at me, eyebrows raised. His blue eyes were so dark. When his dark blue eyes met my own dark green eyes, my breath caught for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he said, a slight tone in the back of his voice that made me think he wasn't really sorry at all. "Is there a problem here, Ma'am?"

"Okay, first of all, it's not 'Ma'am', it's Olive," I said. "Nice to meet you, rude guy in the blue jacket." There were snickers behind me. "Second of all, I have been standing in line, waiting here for fifteen minutes. I don't think you should be able to get in line in front of me now matter how many connections your have or how rich you are."

He laughed. "Well," he said, stepping aside. "Then by all means, go ahead."

I walked past him, bought my vegetables and left without another word. It was on the way home, while I was waiting for the crosswalk light to change, that the car pulled up next to me. I didn't even really notice until the window had already rolled down and someone called my name.

I turned, saw him, and smiled a little. "Oh, hi," I said. "Nice to see you again, rude guy in the blue jacket."

"Nice to see you again too, Olive," he said. "Can I offer you a ride?"

"You can," I said. "But I could use the walk."

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "You are beautiful as it is. But if you insist on walking, I'll just have the car follow you."

I laughed a little. "Well, thank you," I said. "Is there a name that I can call you by?"

He stuck his hand out the window. "Kaiba," he said. "Seto Kaiba."

I paused for a moment and then shook his hand. "Olive," I said, mimicking his tone. "Olive Reynolds."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "Why haven't I ever seen you around here before?"

"I just moved in," I said, walking down the street. The car followed and he observed me, quietly, out the window. "I just got here today, in fact," I said.

"Oh?" he asked. "That's interesting. Where are you from?"

"Originally?" I asked. "Well, I was born in Alabama, spent a few years in Salt Lake City, Utah. But since I was ten, we've lived in California. I hate it there."

"And why is that, Olive?" he asked.

"Big city, bad traffic, and rude people," I said. "Well, and fake people as well."

He laughed. "You can find those four things anywhere you go," he said.

"Good point," I said.

"Where are you going to school?" he asked.

"Domino High School," I answered. "Have you heard of it?"

"Heard of it?" he asked. "I graduated from that school two years ago," he said. "It's a great school. Lots of stupid people, but that's to be expected. Those kids back at the market that were in line behind you go to your school."

"Do they?" I asked. "I didn't get a good look at them. Who were they?"

"Well," he said. "There's Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, and I think the other kid's name is Tristan. The girl who was there is named Tea."

"Are you friends?" I asked.

He laughed. "No," he said. "Not at all. I just know them from school. Yugi's grandfather owns a duel monsters card shop as well."

"Duel monsters?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"It's a card game," he said.

"Yea, thanks," I said. "I figured that much out when you said he owned a card shop." I stopped walking and the car stopped as well. "So, my house is on this street," I said, looking at him. "Are you going to be a stalker and follow me right to my house or should we part ways here?"

He smirked. "I prefer to be a stalker," he said.

I smiled. "I don't think so," I said. I paused for a moment, watching him, and then held my hand out. "Give me your phone," I said. Without question, he handed me his cell phone. I entered my number and handed it back. "Give me a call sometime," I said.

He nodded and drove away.


	3. First Day of School

Chapter Three

The morning of the first day of school debatably sucked worse than the actual first day of school. I had gotten up early to get ready. For most of the first day, I was going to be shown around the school by a couple of student volunteers and I wanted to look nice. When I came into the kitchen with my hair pulled halfway back, skinny jeans, black heels, and a plain white t-shirt, my mom looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" I asked. "I don't look good enough for you?"

"Well, sweetheart," she said. "You look just cute as a button, but you're supposed to wear a uniform."

After a long pause, I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly, so she would know how irritated I was. "Did you _buy_ me a uniform, mother dearest?" I asked her.

"Well, no," she said. "I thought I left that up to you. I wrote you a list of things you needed for school."

I held up the list. "Yea," I said. "Uniform is not on here."

She sighed, looking troubled for a moment, and then said, "Oh well. Come on, let's get in the car. It's your first day. They have to forgive you."

"Mooooooooom," I complained, stomping out after here and getting in the car.

"I like your shoes, baby," she said.

"Mom," I repeated. "You are really irresponsible, you know that?"

"I have a lot on my mind, Olive," she said. "I have lots to do. I start work today too, you know. And I've been thinking of opening a clothing store out here while we're at it. We'll be here for a few years anyway."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "At least that means I'll have a job," I said.

"That's the spirit," said my mom, cheerfully.

After about fifteen minutes of driving, she dropped me off. She got out of the car to give me a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "Now, darling," she said, "go to the principal's office and let them know who you are. Everyone here speaks both English and Japanese so you'll have no communication problems. They actually encourage English speaking because it's more prominent in the business world."

"Okay," I said.

"Here is some money for lunch and for the bus ride home," she said, handing me the money. "I will see you later tonight."

"You aren't even going to walk me in, crazy lady?" I asked.

She glared at me and then climbed in the car. She rolled down the passenger window and said, "You'll do great, baby. Have a good day."

I lifted my hand to wave, but she'd already left. "Thanks," I said, quietly, turning to face the school full of my uniformed peers, where I would stick out like a sore thumb. After a few minutes of staring and wondering if I could remember the directions well enough to just walk back home, I gritted my teeth and walked into the school.

"Hello, Ma'am," I said. "I'm the American transfer student, Olive Reynolds. My mom told me to come here and you'd have people to help me find my classes and stuff."

She glanced up at me and looked me up and down.

"I know I don't have the uniform on," I said. "My mom forgot to tell me to buy it. But I'll get one tonight and tomorrow I'll be totally squared away." I winced at my use of the military-sounding term. My mom's boyfriend of four years, when I was young, had been in the military and I'd picked up the term from him. Somehow over the years, it stuck.

She made a noise and then pushed a button and spoke into the phone for a second. After a couple minutes, she hung up and said, "There are two students here who speak exceptional English, waiting for you in front of the office building. They will escort you to your classes, which have been synced up with theirs." She looked over my outfit again and said, "Please have your correct uniform on when you come to school tomorrow."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you," I said, leaving the office.

I met the two kids out front. There was a girl and a guy. The girl was thin and had shoulder length brown hair. The guy was tall and had long, shaggy white hair.

"I thought everyone in Japan had black hair," I mumbled to myself.

They turned to look at me.

"Hey," I said, awkwardly. "I'm Olive. You guys are supposed to s how me my classes, I guess."

"Hi!" said the girl in an overly cheerful voice. "My name is Tea. It's so good to meet you…"

"Tea?" I asked. "Were you at that little market place a few days ago? With three guys when Kaiba and his brother came in?"

"Yea," she said, nodding and looking confused.

"I was standing in line in front of you," I said.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Bakura, I was just telling you about her! She totally told Seto Kaiba off! I didn't realize you'd be coming to our school."

"Practically friends already," said the boy, cheerfully.

"Sure," I said, trying to sound friendly, but knowing that I didn't.

"Sorry," he said. He offered his hand to shake. "My name's Bakura."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you," I said.

"I see you missed the uniform memo," he said, teasingly.

"My mom is really irresponsible," I offered as an explanation.

"Well, you look great," he said.

"Yea," said Tea. "Maybe I can borrow some clothes sometimes. Anyway," she said. "I'll introduce you to our other friends at lunch, but your first class is with Bakura."

"Cool," I said. "I guess I'll see you later."

She nodded and smiled.

"Come on," said Bakura. "Yugi's in our first class. He'll be excited to meet you."

"Okay…" I said. My words trailed off when I saw a limo pull up in front of the school. The same black haired boy from a few days before got out and ran up the school. The limo started to pull away, but then the driver stopped. The door opened and Seto Kaiba got out.

A hush seemed to fall over the courtyard of the school and people were staring. I tried not to meet his eyes, but he walked right up to me. After a few seconds of considering ignoring him, I finally looked up and smiled.

"Thanks," I said. "Now everyone knows exactly who the weird girl with no uniform is and that she knows Seto Kaiba."

He smirked. "That's one way to get noticed, I suppose," he said. "I wanted to offer you a ride home after school today. I can pick you up when I come to pick up my brother. Maybe I can take you by the mall today and show you where to get your uniform."

I studied his face for a second, thinking.

"Don't make up an excuse," he said. "Just say yes."

"Alright," I said. "Fine. I'll see you after school."

"It's a date then," he said, with that same annoying smirk on his face. He turned and walked away.

"It is _not_ a date," I called after him. I turned to Bakura. "It's not a date," I told him.

"How do you know Kaiba?" he asked. "I thought you told him off the other day."

"I did," I said. "But then he sort of followed me and introduced himself. Why? Is that weird?"

Bakura shrugged. I studied him. He was quiet and sort of small. He seemed very…awkward and introverted. But he seemed nice.

"Kaiba's just a rich kid, you know?" he said. "He's always seemed really stuck up. He sort of looks down on others."

I laughed a little. "Yea, I've known those kinds of people," I said. "I just have never associated with them, so this is sort of weird."

Bakura smiled a little, but he didn't say anything. He just led me quietly to our first class. We walked into class together and I avoided eye contact with everyone, since my clothes seemed to draw everyone's stares. I followed Bakura to one table and sat down next to a small kid with blonde, spiky hair that had black and purple streaks in it.

"Olive Reynolds, this is Yugi Muto," said Bakura. "Yugi, this is the new girl, the American transfer student, Olive."

"Nice to meet you, Olive," said Yugi. He looked so friendly, I couldn't help but smile. "Where are you from in America?"

"Born in Alabama, down south," I said. "Then I lived in Utah for a couple of years and, finally, in California."

"And now Japan," Yugi added. "What brought you here?"

"But mom's a teacher and a business owner," I said. "She's taught at elementary school, junior high and middle school, and high school. She's taught after school classes before too. She owns two clothing stores in California and she's thinking of opening one here. We moved here before she got a job teaching English."

"That's cool," Yugi said. "She sounds very ambitious."

I laughed a little, smiling too. "She probably has attention deficit disorder, to be honest," I said. "My mom has so much energy. She's all over the place. She's really forgetful too. Irresponsible, but she's fun. I love her. Most of the time."

Yugi laughed and I was glad that the school had implemented a program where I was basically assigned to friends.

When we walked to the next class, I learned that the rest of our classes were shared with Tea, the girl I'd met at the beginning of the day, and Yugi and Bakura's other friends, Tristan and Joey. During any free time, I would pull out a book and start to read. Over the top of my book, I noticed that everyone would gather around tables to watch people play some card game.

I didn't ask. I just brushed it off.

After school, I walked over to where Mokuba was waiting for his brother and sat awkwardly on the opposite side of the bench from him. He glanced at me, laughed, smiled, and shook his head.

"I'm Mokuba Kaiba," he said. "My brother told me about you. Olive, right?"

I smirked and nodded. "Yea, I'm Olive," I said. "Nice to meet you." After another minute of silence, I looked at him and asked, "Your brother talks about me?"

Mokuba smiled. "Don't tell him I told you," he said.


	4. Crush

Chapter Four

When Seto Kaiba arrived, his drive got out and came around the car to open the door for us. Mokuba bounced over to the car and climbed inside. I followed him a little more slowly and climbed in. Kaiba watched my every move very closely. I felt a little bit self-conscious under his constant gaze. We were quiet for a minute until I finally glanced up and saw him watching me. I looked away quickly and then looked back. He was still watching me.

"You're staring," I stated, raising my eyebrows.

"Am I?" he asked. "And how does that make you feel?"

"What are you, a shrink?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm a CEO," he said.

"Oooooh," I said, teasing. "I knew you were rich."

He smiled. "You could say that," he said.

"What does your company do?" I asked.

"We develop technology," he said, "mostly for the Duel Monsters card game."

"Wait," I said. "What's the duel monsters game exactly?"

For a second, he lost his cool exterior and looked surprised. It only took a second and then he was back in control. "Duel monsters is a card game that a lot of people play," he said.

"A lot of people meaning a lot of people in Japan?" I asked.

"No," he said. "A lot of people all over the world."

I nodded, quietly.

Mokuba was dropped off at the house and Seto talked to the driver for a minute. Then we kept driving.

"You don't need to be home, do you?" he asked me.

"Why?" I asked. "Am I being kidnapped?"

He slid closer to me and, unexpectedly, my heart began to beat faster. He put his arm around me and said, quietly, "Do you _want_ to be kidnapped by me?" He didn't break eye contact for a second.

I blinked really fast and took a deep breath to clear my mind. "Don't do that," I said, shaking my head slowly.

"Do what?" he asked.

"I barely know you," I whispered.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled.

"How well do you really know anyone?" he asked.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"Would it be too forward if I asked to kiss you?" he asked.

I thought about it for a second and then smiled and said, "Buy me flowers and take me out to dinner first. Deal?"

He mimicked me, pretending to think about my offer, and then looked away. "Deal," he said.

We drove for a little longer, talking and getting to know each other. I learned that he smirked a lot and laughed a little. I found that I loved the serious intensity of his eyes and how soft his lips looked.

When I got home, later that night, and walked in the door, smiling quietly to myself, my mom was in the kitchen. She set down her magazine and gave me a knowing smirk before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"_Why_ are you looking like _that_?" she asked. "Did you meet a boy?"

I shook my head and grinned. "Mother, dear, I met a _man_."

She clapped her hands and her grin matched mine. My mother had never been someone who was conservative when it came to dating. She was the kind of person who preferred to talk to me about my love life and give me advice, rather than be in the dark about everything.

"So, tell me," she said. "What's he like? And how much older is he?"

"He's just a couple years older than me," I said. I sat down on a chair next to her and she handed me her coffee for a sip. I shook my head no. She never used the creamer I liked. "He is tall and he had nice skin. It's smooth and it's not too dark or too pale. He has brown hair and he has these…intense eyes, Mom. So intense. I actually met him when I was at the market the other day, but I didn't realize I might like him until today. He offered to give me a ride home from school and we drove around and talked a lot."

"He sounds like a good one," my mom said, looking genuinely happy for me. "Did you kiss him?" she asked.

"Mom!" I protested, knowing that I would answer her question in a few seconds.

"Olive!" she mimicked my tone.

"No," I said. "I didn't kiss him. He asked me if it would be too forward of him to ask for a kiss. Can you believe that?"

"What did you say?" my mom asked.

"Told him he had to buy my flowers and take me out to dinner first," I said.

"Good girl. Well, remember," said my mom. "If you two get serious, you better invite him over for dinner."

"Yea, if I want to scare him away," I teased.

My mom rolled her eyes. "Listen, baby, I've got good news too. I found a place I can rent to open a store out here. I'm meeting with some people this week to get all the details figured out, but as soon as it's all worked out, I need you to help me open the store and work for me. Maybe you could make a couple of friends that I could hire on as well," she suggested.

"Sure," I said, nodding. I stood up and walked towards my room. "Hey," I said, turning back before I forgot, "Seto, the guy I met, told me there are a lot of people here who are into this game called Duel Monsters. I guess it's getting big all over, but anyway, maybe you could incorporate t-shirts or sell cards at your store along with the clothes?" I shrugged. "I don't know. It's a suggestion. Just thought I'd mention something."

My mom nodded. "Thank you, darlin," she said. She blew me a kiss. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."


	5. Meeting Mom

Chapter Five

I had sort of expected Seto Kaiba to ask me to dinner almost immediately and bring flowers along with him, but he just continued to offer me a ride home everyday after school for the next few weeks.

Everyday after school, when I got home, I grabbed something to eat, changed into older clothes, and walked down the street to the shopping center where my mom had rented out a place for her clothing store. She called is '_Reynolds_', just like the two stores in California. Right now, while the contractors or whatever they were called, remodeled it and made it into what she wanted, I was painting, wallpapering, buying furniture, ordering clothes, and unpacking boxes. My mom helped when she could focus for long enough periods of time. She had everything going on in her mind all at once and people were always calling her, whether it involved the store or after school classes. My mom was always busy doing more than one thing at once. It was a fact that I'd learned to live with a long time ago.

When I finished painting the section I was on, I told my mom I was going to get something to eat and I left the store. I walked to a cute little café, pointed to things on the picture menu, telling myself in the back of my mind that I needed to learn to speak Japanese. When my food was cooked, I ate quietly, absorbed in my thoughts. When I was done, I refilled my drink and began to walk back.

I passed a little yellow shop on my way and peered at it curiously. After arguing with myself for a few minutes about whether or not I should go back to my mom's store, like a responsible daughter would, or check out the yellow shop, I glanced around and slipped through the door.

A little bell jingled somewhere in the back of the shop and, to my surprise, Yugi walked out front.

"Can I help…oh," he said, when he noticed it was me. "Hey, Olive. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Yugi," I said, smiling. I didn't know you worked here. I would look like such a mess if I knew I'd run into anyone that I knew," I said, gesturing to my clothes. I was wearing an old pair of sweats that had been cut off at the knee and a big t-shirt my mom had given me a long time ago. My long, frizzy hair was piled into a bun on top of my head. A bun that was beginning to fall out in random places, but I didn't care.

"You look great," Yugi insisted. "Don't worry about it. So what brings you here? Do you play Duel Monsters?"

"I didn't even know what Duel Monsters was until Kaiba told me about it," I admitted. "My mom is actually opening up a store just down the street."

"That Reynolds place?" he asked. "My grandfather told me about it opening."

I nodded. "Yea," I said. "My mom owns two in California already. She thought she'd open one out here. I guess it gives us an excuse to stay in Japan longer," I laughed a little. "I'm helping her get everything ready and painted."

Yugi nodded. "That's really nice of you," he said.

"How long have you worked here?" I asked him.

"Oh, ever since it opened," he said. "My grandfather owns this store. It's his card shop."

"Oh yea!" I exclaimed. "Duel Monsters. Right."

"Yea," said Yugi. "I can't believe you'd never heard of it."

"Nope," I shook my head. "Kaiba explained it to me the other day."

"Seto Kaiba?"asked Yugi.

I nodded.

He didn't say anything more about it. "I can teach you to play some time if you want," he offered.

"Sure," I said. "One of these days. I've got to get back to the store though. My mom is going to be pissed that I've been gone for so long."

"Alright," said Yugi. "Well, I'm glad you stopped by. I'll see you at school."

"Bye," I said, waving as I left the shop.

I'd been in Japan, going to school, and driving home with Kaiba for exactly three months, when the car parked in front of my house instead of just stopping to drop me off. I climbed out of the limo and Seto followed me.

I smiled at him. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm coming inside to meet your mother," he stated. "Is that alright with you?"

I smiled. "Yea," I said. "Of course." I took his hand in mine, without thinking, and led him inside.

"Mom!" I called, once I was in the door. I slipped out of my shoes. Kaiba did the same. "Mom!" I yelled again, looking down the hallway. I knocked on the wall and then looked at Kaiba. I smiled and shrugged apologetically. "She'll be out soon," I said. "Do you want anything to drink?"

Kaiba smiled and shook his head. "No thank you, Olive," he said. "May I see the house?"

"Sure," I said. "It's not very big though."

"That's alright," said Kaiba.

I showed him the kitchen and the living room, the sitting room where the television and shelves full of books were, and my mom's study. At the end of the hallway, we walked upstairs to my room, which was the only room on the second floor. Generously, my mom had given it to me in exchange for the study downstairs. The room was on the big side, but it wasn't huge. My bed was on one side, near the walk-in closet and the bathroom. On the other side of the room, I had a bookcase, a tall lamp, a chair with a matching couch, and a desk. There were also double doors, covered by floor length curtains that led to a small deck with stairs going down into the back yard.

The back yard wasn't big either, but there was a pool that my mom hadn't gotten cleaned yet. That was something to look forward to.

"It's cute. I like it," he said, looking around. He sat down on my bed and then looked at me and smirked. "Well, it wasn't too hard to get into your bed, was it?"

I laughed. "Sure," I said. I raised my eyebrows. "But you won't get much farther than that."

"I wouldn't count on that," he said, nonchalantly, gazing out of the window. He was trying not to smile.

"Is that so?" I asked. "What exactly are you insinuating, Mister Kaiba?"

He smiled. "Don't worry about it, kid," he teased.

There was a knock on my door and I turned to see my mom. She was dressed in a pair of tight, dark skinny jeans, strappy heeled green sandals, and a very nice light blue halter top. Her blonde hair had been lightened and straightened. It almost reached her waist that way. Her eyeliner was on thick and dark. Her eyelashes were long and coated in black mascara. Her lips were shiny with gloss. She was smiling.

"Hey, darlin," she said to me. She inclined her head towards Seto, who had stood up. "Who is this?"

"Mother, this is my good friend Seto Kaiba, who I have told you about. Kaiba, this is my wonderful mother."

Smiling, she extended her hand to Kaiba. He shook it. "It's really nice to meet you, Mister Kaiba," she said politely. "Olive talks about you all the time." She winked at me, which I was sure he saw.

"Is that so?" asked Kaiba.

"Why yes, and I can assure you that it's all bad," I answered.

"Why do you call him by his last name?" asked my mother.

"Sexier," I replied.

"Oooooh, Olive Joy," my mom teased. "I'm really pleased to meet you, Mister Kaiba. My daughter is very lucky to have someone treat her so nicely. I've also got some strawberry lemonade down in the kitchen for the two of you when you're ready for it." She turned to go.

"Oh, Mrs. Reynolds…" said Kaiba.

"It's Miss Reynolds," my mom said. "Olive's dad skipped town when I got pregnant. I never put his name on the birth certificate, so it's just Miss."

"Miss Reynolds," said Kaiba. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh?" my mom asked, turning back to us, smiling. "What is that?"

"I would like to ask permission to start dating your daughter," Kaiba said.

I felt my mouth open in shock. It was all so formal and strange to me. Then I covered my mouth and smiled. He wanted to date me.

"Oh?" my mom asked.

"Yes," he said. "That is," he looked at me and I quickly put my hands down, "if she wants to date me."

"Well," said my mom, grinning. "_If_ Olive wants to date you, and I have a feeling she might," I glared at her, "you both certainly have my permission. But you'd better treat her right."

"I assure you, I will," said Kaiba, smiling at me.

My mom smiled at left.

Kaiba turned, smiling a little, and walked over to me. "Olive," he said. "I would like to take you out tomorrow night." He paused and then added. "And after our date tomorrow night, I fully intend to ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Really?" I asked. "You, a young, rich CEO wants to date me, plain little Olive?"

He brushed my hair behind my ear and ran a finger along my jaw line. "You're anything but plain, Olive," he said. "And yes. I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Well," I said. "I'll think about it."

He laughed. "Give me an answer tomorrow after dinner," he said.

"Deal," I agreed, smiling. 


	6. First Date

Chapter Six

"Seto Kaiba?" Joey Wheeler asked during class the next day, incredulous. "You're going to go out with _Seto Kaiba_?"

"Yup," I said. "_And_, not only that, Joey, but he is going to ask me to be his girlfriend."

"Yuck," Joey said, making a face.

"Yea, that's gross, Reynolds," Tristan agreed, reaching over to ruffle my hair. I tried to jerk out of the way, but Joey got me in a headlock.

"Kaiba's kind of a creep, girl. You know that, right?" Joey asked. "How about you snuggle on over here to your friend, Joey?" He kissed my cheek.

"Ew," I laughed and pushed him away. "Shut up, Joey. I told you guys already. I'm going to start dating Kaiba. I _want_ to start dating Kaiba."

"Well, good luck," said Yugi, who was listening in. He laughed a little bit.

"Thanks," I said. "You're cool, Yugi." I turned to Bakura, who was sitting next to me. We had every class together and we were becoming close friends. He came over for dinner all the time and my mother loved him almost as much as she loved Kaiba, and possibly more than she loved me. Bakura was even helping with the opening of my mom's store. "What do you think, Kura?" I asked, quietly.

He looked at me and he sighed a little bit. Then he smiled. "Do whatever makes you happy. Be with whoever makes you happy, Olive," he said. "_But_," he added, "don't stay with him if he doesn't treat you well. I don't want to see you treated badly."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "That means a lot to me."

After school that day, Bakura and I walked to my house together. He had promised to help me get ready for my date. While he got snacks from the kitchen, I pulled out a few dresses and shoes. I got in the shower and dried my hair. While I smoothed and curled it, Bakura sat on the couch and talked to me.

When I was finally done, I tried on several different dresses and Bakura helped me choose one. I ignored the way he looked at me whenever I slipped out of one dress and into another. I was not a person who was shy about my body. I liked the way I looked and it didn't bother me to be in my bra and panties in front of a friend – male or not.

I finally picked out a dark green cap sleeve dress that matched my eyes and fell to my knees. I slipped into white heeled sandals and small, diamond stud earrings. I put on some mascara and a little lip gloss. I wasn't really one for much makeup, but on special occasions, I liked to use it. Then I stood and spun in a circle.

"How do I look, my friend?" I asked.

"Stunning," said Bakura. "No man could resist you."

"Thank you," I said. "He should be here to pick me up in just a few minutes. Will you be here when I get home?"

"I might be," he said.

"Please?" I begged.

"I'll try," Bakura promised.

"Good," I said. I pulled on a white jacket and grabbed a white clutch with my cell phone and lip gloss inside it. The doorbell rang and I heard my mom go to answer it.

"Olive!" she called, in a sing-song voice. "There is a very handsome gentleman here for you!"

"I'll be right there," I called back. I sprayed some perfume on the back of my neck and on my collarbone. I pulled Bakura into a hug. He held on for a second longer than usual, but I pretended not to notice and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Later," he said, sitting down while I rushed out.

Before I reached the front door, I took a deep breath to compose myself and walked slowly out to meet him.

"You look beautiful, darlin," my mom said. She kissed my cheek. "Have a nice time, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," I said.

"I won't wait up," she added, winking.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out the front door. My mom hung around in the doorway. Kaiba leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. Then he took his arm out from behind his back and presented me with a bouquet of six dark red roses.

"Oh, Kaiba!" I exclaimed, smiling. I took them and smelled the flowers. They smelled wonderful. I got up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek back. "They're beautiful, thank you. You're so sweet."

"Only the best," he responded. "Shall we?" he offered me his arm.

"Such a gentleman," I commented.

I took his arm and we walked out to the car together. He helped me inside. My mom waved to me and then shut the front door. As we pulled away, I could see Bakura in the upstairs window. Except that something about him seemed a little different. I waved, but he didn't seem to notice.

Kaiba took me to a fancy restaurant where we were in VIP seating. He ordered the food and we drank some very expensive wine, something my mom had allowed me to drink with dinner ever since I was twelve. The food was great and quiet instrumental music was playing in the background.

"How's that for a first date?" Kaiba asked, with his trademark smirk, once we were back in the limo. The driver had taken us to Kaiba's house and gone to wait inside so we could be alone in the back of the limo.

"It was practically perfect in every way," I said.

"Come here," said Kaiba.

I smiled and scooted over to him. He slipped an arm under my knees and around my shoulders and lifted me onto his lap. I was a little surprised, but I didn't protest. I loved being that close to him. He was strong and he smelled so good. I brushed his hair back slightly and met his eyes.

"How about that kiss you promised me?" he asked, in a low, sexy voice. "I held up my end of the bargain."

"Oh, is that all this was?" I teased. I shifted and pulled the skirt of my dress up around my thighs so that I was straddling his lap, facing him. He raised his eyebrows, but looked intrigued. I leaned closer to him, my lips hovering just inches from him. "Am I just a bargain you've made?"

He grabbed my waist and pulled me roughly closer to him. I gave a sharp intake of breath and my heart began to beat faster.

"Maybe you are," he said. "What are you going to do about that?"

I shook my head. "I'm not just a bargain for anyone, Seto Kaiba," I whispered.

"Yea?" he asked.

"Yea," I said. "I this how you treat all the other girls you've been in this limo with? You get what you want and then throw them away when they've fulfilled their end of things?"

He moved me so that I was lying down on the seat of the limo. He leaned over me, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Even though he was holding himself up, I could feel his weight on me.

"So what if I do throw them away?" he asked. "I've never found anyone I like well enough to keep them around. No one's ever been that special." He buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath. Then he propped himself back up on his elbows and said, "You are so beautiful."

I leaned up and touched his face, drawing him closer to me. When we kissed, it was soft and gentle at first. Then he kissed me harder, more passionately, and I kissed him back, running my hands up the back of his neck and my fingers through his hair.


	7. The Rare Card

Chapter Seven

Everything changed after our first date. When I wasn't at school or working, I was with Kaiba. And when he wasn't at work and I wasn't at school, he was taking me out to eat, to the beach, or some city to shop. He bought me gifts all the time, picked me up for lunch, and sent me flowers constantly. Whenever I worked in the morning, he would drop by to bring me coffee. He was thoughtful and sweet. I loved my time with him and knowing that I was his girlfriend.

All of my friends made fun of me. With my mom's store up and running, I was working with Bakura and Tea almost every day. Joey, Tristan, and Yugi would drop by from time to time to hang out or during breaks to get something to eat. My mom had joined in with everyone's teasing. They constantly talked about how I was dating a rich kid and a spoiled brat. I just laughed and ignored them.

One day after school, I went with my friends to a building where people met to play Duel Monsters together. They held local tournaments here. None of us had to work, but Kaiba was away on some business and wasn't supposed to be back until later that night. I sat back and watched while Yugi was teaching Joey how to play. Tea sat beside me and patiently explained all the rules to me while Tristan, Bakura, and some other kids were watching.

It only took Yugi a little while to beat Joey.

"Aw, man!" Joey complained.

"You did fine, Joey," said Yugi. "I just have better cards. My grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him."

I looked up and saw Kaiba waiting at the door, listening and waiting for me.

"A game shop?" Joey exclaimed.

"Yea," said Yugi, smiling.

"I've been there," I said. "It's right down the street from my mom's store. I can't believe you haven't been there before."

"Eh, shut up, Olive," Joey teased, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Okay," said Yugi. "Maybe I can even get Grandpa to show us this super rare card that he's got."

"I'm gonna skip out," I said. "Kaiba's here to pick me up."

"Oh," said Tristan. "Well go have fun with your white knight. How long have you been dating again?"

"A few months," I mumbled.

At the same time, Bakura said, "Five months."

"How do you even know that?" I asked. "Damn, I can't even believe I've been living here that long." I looked up at my boyfriend and saw that his eyes were narrowed. He was thinking very intently about something. I smiled, but he didn't seem to notice. I told my friends goodbye and walked over to Kaiba. "Hey, babe," I said.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Listen," he said. "Where is that game shop Yugi was talking about?"

"Down the street from my mom's store," I said. "Why?"

"I have to go right now, Olive," he said. "Can I actually pick you up later?"

"Sure," I said, shrugging. "I guess."

"Thanks," he said. He kissed me and then walked away.

I walked back to my friends. "Looks like I'm not leaving after all," I said. "Something came up."

It took about fifteen minutes for us to walk to the game shop.

"Grandpa, can you show my friends that awesome, super rare card you have?" asked Yugi.

His grandfather pretended to think about it.

"Please!" Yugi said.

"Yea, please, please," Joey added.

"The blue eyes white dragon," said Yugi's grandfather, opening a box. The card was inside. "This card is so special; I never let it leave my hand."

"Doesn't look so special to me," said Tristan, taking it from him.

Yugi's grandpa snatched it back. "This card is so rare, there are only four of them in the entire world," he said.

"Speaking of rare," said Joey. "I'm ready to trade."

"Not for this card," said Yugi's grandpa.

"No, I didn't mean that card," said Joey. "I meant, show me some other cool cards to get me started!"

The door opened then and Yugi's grandpa looked up. "Hello. Can I help you?" he asked, politely.

"If you can't," said the man. "It certainly wouldn't surprise me." I recognized the voice instantly.

"Seto Kaiba," Yugi murmured, confused.

"Kaiba?" asked Joey.

"Babe?" I asked, confused.

"Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run?" asked Tristan. "What's he doing all the way down here?"

"Yea," Tea added. "Didn't he just barely tell you he was busy?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yup," I said, folding my arms.

"Not that it's any of your business," Kaiba answered Tristan, "but I came to see the card."

"Hey," said Joey, in a friendly voice, "are you into Duel Monsters too? This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime."

"Me? Duel you?" asked Kaiba, walking further into the shop. "I would have more of a challenge playing solitaire."

"That was rude," I said, quietly.

He barely glanced at me.

"What?" asked Joey.

"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship. You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me," Kaiba said, with a small laugh.

"Ooh, I'm shaking," Joey snapped, angrily clenching his fists. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards."

"Woah," said Yugi, stepping between them. "Take it easy, Joey."

"But, Yugi," Joey complained. "This prick is asking for it!"

"Come on, Joey," I protested.

"Now," said Kaiba. "Does this place have any worthwhile cards or not?" He looked around and saw Yugi's grandfather's rare card in its case on the table. He nearly gasped. Kaiba rushed forward to look at it. "The blue eyes white dragon!" he exclaimed. "In a dump like this?"

"Enough window shopping," said Yugi's grandpa, closing the case. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Kaiba looked pissed. I had never seen him look or act this way before. He put his briefcase on the table, opening it to reveal a whole bunch of cards that must have been rare since everyone looked surprised. "Listen, old man," he said. "Give me your blue eyes white dragon card and I'll trade you all of these."

Everyone gasped and exclaimed over all the cards. I just watched my boyfriend, still surprised that he was being so rude to everyone. He knew these were my friends.

"Nice," said Yugi's grandfather, looking at the cards. "But no thanks."

"Fine," said Kaiba. "If you won't trade, then name your price. I can pay anything you ask."

Yugi's grandpa laughed a little. "There is nothing you could pay me for this," he said. "That card was given to me by a dear friend. It's worth no amount of money. Parting with it is out of the question."

"You'd feel the same even if it was a common card, wouldn't you, Grandpa," said Yugi.

"Of course," said his grandpa. "This card has bonded with my heart."

"Fine," Kaiba snapped. "I've heard enough of your nonsense, you senile old fool." He turned and looked at me. "Are you coming with me, Olive?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, tentatively, glancing at my friends. "I guess."

I followed him out of the shop.

We sat in the back seat in silence. I watched Kaiba, concerned, while he fumed quietly. A few minutes later, we were at the Kaiba Corporation building. We took the elevator up to his office on the top floor.

"Olive, I need a quick word with my associates," he said. "Will you please wait in my office?"

"Sure," I said, nodding.

He kissed my forehead and walked into the conference room. Instead of going to his office, I stood at the door and listened.

"Gentlemen," he said. "I need you to pick something up for me at a game shop."

"Gladly, Master Kaiba," one of them responded.

I felt my stomach turn uneasily. Something wasn't right about this. I turned and began to go through my bag, looking for my cell phone.

"Looking for something, Olive?" Kaiba asked.

I jumped. He was right beside me, watching me carefully. I hadn't even heard him approach.

"Oh," I said. "I just…I just thought I heard my phone vibrate."

Kaiba smiled. "I think you dropped it in the car," he said. "I'll have someone run down and get it for you."

"Thanks," I murmured.


	8. Duel: Yugi vs Kaiba

Chapter Eight

The next morning, I woke up on the couch in Kaiba's office. Someone had laid a blanket over me. My hair was a mess and my uniform was all wrinkled. I checked my phone to make sure it was the weekend and sighed in relief. Not only was it the weekend, but it was two in the afternoon.

I quickly dialed my mom's number.

She didn't pick up, so I called the store.

"Reynolds," she answered, in her cheerful voice. "What can we do for you today?"

"Mom?" I asked, my voice still tired. "It's Olive. Where's your cell phone?"

"I don't know," she said. "Coincidentally, I also don't know where my daughter is."

"I'm at Kaiba's office. I fell asleep here. I'm sorry," I said.

"It's fine," she said. "Next time let me know you're not coming home though, okay?"

"Okay," I said. "Sorry."

"I've gotta go, sweet pea. See you later," she hung up.

I sat up and looked around.

Kaiba had left me a note on the table telling me that he had business to attend to, but to order whatever I wanted for breakfast on his tab and he'd see me soon. I smiled at the note. I got up and walked into the bathroom, brushed my teeth with the spare toothbrush and then ran a brush carelessly through my messy hair. After pulling my hair back, I took off the jacket and top of my uniform. I looked around the office because I knew sometimes Kaiba kept extra clothes there in case he fell asleep at the office. I found one of his blue button up shirts and slipped it on. Then I changed into a pair of shorts I kept in my backpack.

I left the office and walked down the street to eat lunch at a café I knew a couple of blocks down the street. I chatted with the woman who worked there. We both spoke a mess of English and Japanese and somehow managed to communicate that way. I ate my sandwich and drank and Italian cream soda. After I was done, I left and walked around, looking in the windows of the stores nearby. It was around five when I headed back.

I saw Kaiba's car parked in his parking space and went to the front desk.

"Hi," I said. "Where is Mister Kaiba?"

"He's actually on the very top floor, in the dueling arena," the woman told me, with a toothy smile. "He mentioned you might be looking for him soon."

"Thanks," I said.

I went to the employee elevator and up to the top floor just in time to hear him say into the phone, "Yugi. Perfect. Your grandfather's here visiting, actually, but he isn't feeling well. You might want to come by my office and pick him up."

He hung up and turned around to see me.

"Hi babe," he said, opening his arms. I walked over to him and he pulled me onto his lap. He looked very, very pleased about something. "I've missed you all day, beautiful," he murmured, showering my face, neck, and lips with kisses that were a little rougher than usual.

"I've missed you too," I said. I caught his lips in a kiss and then asked, "Hey, what's going on? I heard you on the phone just now. Yugi's grandfather is here?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and I stood up.

"Yea," he said. "He's in the other room, near the public elevator. Yugi should be here soon to pick him up."

"Is he okay?"

"Sure," said Kaiba. "I mean, I guess. We dueled. He lost."

"Maybe I should go check on him," I said, turning.

Kaiba caught my wrist. "No," he said, firmly. "He'll be fine. I want you to stay here."

"Okay," I said, quietly.

It was only a few minutes later that we both heard Yugi.

"Grandpa!" he cried. "Grandpa, are you okay?"

"Yugi," his grandfather said, weakly. "I failed. I wanted to teach that boy, Kaiba, a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost." He gave a painful sounding groan. Kaiba smirked and stood up.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried again.

The door to the arena opened and Kaiba walked towards it and away from me. "How's the old man feeling, hmm?" he asked, in a very self-righteous tone that made me feel like I didn't know him at all.

"You sleaze!" Joey snapped. "What have you done to him?"

"We had a duel. That's all," said Kaiba. "We each put up out most valuable card as the prize. But I guess playing against a champion, like myself, was just too much stimulation for the old man."

"Kaiba!" Tea cried out. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"It was fair," said Kaiba, shrugging. "And look at the sweet prize I won." He held out the blue eyes white dragon card that Yugi's grandfather had showed us the day before and he tore it in two.

Everyone gasped.

I was shocked that Kaiba was acting like this; that he could be so mean.

"Now this one will never be used against me," he said.

"My blue eyes white dragon!" Yugi's grandfather said. "My treasure!"

"How…why would you do that?" Yugi yelled.

"Yugi, here," I heard his grandfather say. He held something out to him. "Take this. I built this deck. I put my soul into these cards and I've taught you everything I know, Yugi. Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the heart of the cards, Yugi."

"But, Grandpa, you need help," Yugi protested. "This isn't the time for a card game. You need to get to the hospital."

"Sounds like an excuse to me," Kaiba taunted. "Your friends can take care of your grandpa while you and I duel. That is, unless you're afraid."

"Kick his ass, Yugi!" Joey shouted. "We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of this creep. Teach that rich spoiled brat what a real duel's all about."

"Do it, Yugi. For your grandpa," Tea said.

"I don't know…" said Yugi.

"Trust me," said Joey. "You're the best player I've ever seen, and you've got the millennium puzzle. You can do this, Yugi. I know you can."

Tea nodded in agreement. "We all do," she said.

"Okay, Grandpa," said Yugi. "I'll do it."

"I know you will, my boy," said his grandpa. He sounded proud.

"Put your hands together," said Tea, "and I'll mark us with a special sign." She took out a marker and drew on their hands.

"What gives, Tea?" asked Joey.

"It's a symbol of our friendship," she said. "It's so that when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone. We're always going to be right there with him."

Tea and Tristan helped Yugi's grandfather downstairs and into the ambulance they'd called for. Tea told Joey to stay with Yugi and cheer him on.

Yugi and Joey walked into the room that I was in. When they caught sight of me, they both looked surprised.

"You were here?" Yugi asked, sounding hurt. "Why didn't you call me?"

I shook my head. "I only just got back. When I walked in, I heard him talking to you on the phone," I explained. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know or I would have called you. I didn't…"

"It's fine," said Yugi, but he still sounded hurt.

"Is your grandpa okay?" I asked, quietly.

"I think he will be. Thanks for asking." He walked past me, barely glancing at me. He was very pale and looked nervous.

Joey slipped an arm around my shoulder. "Hey," he said, leading me into the duelist arena room. "His gramps'll be okay," he assured me. "Tea and Tristan are looking after him. And Yugi isn't mad at you. Yugi's just a little nervous and shocked." Joey made a face. "This was really a messed up thing for Kaiba to do," he said.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Yea," I finally said. "I would have to agree. I don't know what's gotten into him. He's so sweet with me, but when it comes to this card game and his company…he just becomes so different. He's like a different person. It makes me sad. And worried."

"It'll be okay," said Joey. "And, no offense, but Yugi's going to wipe the floor with him."

I smiled a little and gave him a hug. Then I walked over to Kaiba's side of the arena. He was talking to Yugi about the arena he'd built.

"Are you ready to play, runt?" he asked.

"Play time is over, Kaiba!" Yugi declared, sounding angrier than I'd ever heard him. For a split second, and it could have been a trick of light, I thought I saw his millennium puzzle – the necklace he always wore – glow. After it glowed, Yugi somehow looked different. He seemed taller and more confident.

Kaiba set down his first card, which Yugi quickly defeated.

The arena was absolutely incredible, creating huge, larger-than-life-sized holograms of each monster as it was played. It made everything so much more real.

"Big brother!" I heard Mokuba cry. I turned to see him running into the arena. "Are you okay?"

"Come here, Mokuba," I said, holding out my hand to him. He ran over to me and I hugged him. "He'll be okay," I said, quietly. "Don't worry, okay?"

Mokuba nodded nervously.

Kaiba played a creepy looking clown monster and used another card to give it greater strength. Yugi looked worried as he drew cards. I couldn't blame him. These were cards he'd never played with before. He had to blindly trust in the cards his grandfather had given him only moments before. He set a card down in defense mode and Kaiba destroyed it and then grinned, laughing darkly.

"Hang in there, Yugi!" Joey called.

"Looks like you're not doing any better than the old man was," Kaiba taunted.

"Kaiba!" I said, in shock. He glanced at me and smirked, shaking his head.

"What's the matter, Olive?" he asked me. "I know you like a man in charge."

"My grandfather is a great man!" Yugi said, angrily. "And he's a better duelist than you'll ever be. He trusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck." Yugi looked determined, but also very angry. "I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba."

"What?" Kaiba said, almost too quietly for me to hear. As dark and different as he seemed, at that moment, his hair fell over his eyes and my heart started beating wildly. He looked so gorgeous and I cared about him so much. I couldn't help myself.

"My faith rewards me!" Yugi declared. "With Gaia, the Fierce Knight!" He played the card and destroyed Kaiba's.

Kaiba scowled and drew another card. The smirk was back. "This will be over soon than you think. I call on the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he declared.

"What?" asked Yugi.

"Impossible! We all watched you tear that card in half!" Joey called.

"Surprised?" Kaiba jeered. "Did you think your grandfather was the only person to possess a Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

The dragon reared its head back and attacked Yugi's knight.

"Faith or no faith, you can't win when I have superior monsters, Yugi," said Kaiba. "Faith is for losers. In your entire deck, you don't have a card that could stand up to my Blue Eyes White Dragon," he said. He held up another card. It was another Blue Eyes White Dragon. "So what hope do you have against two?"

Yugi looked worried.

"I won't give up," Yugi murmured to himself. "Grandpa's counting on me." He played a card that would stop all of the monsters on the field for three turns.

"Yea?" Kaiba sneered. "What good is that going to do?"

Yugi seemed deep in thought.

"Quit stalling, Yugi!" Kaiba called. "Or forfeit the match."

"I never forfeit," Yugi replied.

Kaiba played a card called The Judge Man and Yugi played something called Dark Magician to kill it.

"A loss that doesn't even faze me," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes. He was so nonchalant about the whole thing; so confident. "And now, here is my third Blue Eyes White Dragon." The dragon easily destroyed Yugi's Dark Magician. "How's your faith holding up now? On my next turn, all three Blue Eyes will be free to attack. You can't possibly stand against all three of my dragons. It's over. You were never a match for me."

"Don't listen to him, Yugi!" Joey called.

Forget faith in the cards, the faith these people had in their friendships was unwavering.

Yugi took a deep breath and reached out to draw a card. He looked at the friendship symbol draw on the back of his hand and smiled.

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi," said Kaiba, smugly.

"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba," Yugi responded. He smirked and held up a card. "But it does contain the unstoppable Exodia."

I had no idea what he was saying, but Kaiba's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. He even staggered backwards a little bit. "Impossible!" he cried.

"I've assembled all five special cards," said Yugi and a strangely shaped star appeared on the field. Somehow, it seemed familiar. "All five pieces of the puzzle." Through different sections of the star, two hands emerged. Then two feet and, finally, a head.

"Exodia…" Kaiba said. "It's not possible! No one has ever been able to summon him."

"Exodia," Yugi said. "Obliterate."

And he did.

Kaiba yelled.

My mouth opened in shock.

"You did it, Yugi!" Joey cheered. "You won!"

"This can't be!" said Mokuba, in shock. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or just talking. "My brother never loses."

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost," said Yugi. "But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

"Kaiba!" I yelled. "Are you okay?" He still looked shocked, almost ill.

"But," Kaiba stammered, not listening to me. "But, how? How could I have lost to him?"

"Kaiba," said Yugi, sounding so different than he usually did. I looked at him and a symbol seemed to glow on his forehead. I was absolutely positive it wasn't a trick of light this time. He held out his arm. "Open your mind!" he cried.

Something in Kaiba's face changed and he fell to his knees.

I ran over to the controls that took him up about the field and started pushing buttons to try and bring him back down.

"There," said Yugi. "Maybe now you will begin to see."

The platform descended. Kaiba seemed to be in shock. He slipped sideways into my arms. I smoothed back his hair and told him to focus. "Kaiba," I murmured. "Hey, look at me. Seto, look at me." He shuddered, closed his eye, and laid his head against me.


	9. Soul Snatcher

Chapter Nine

Kaiba took a vacation from work. It was something he'd never done before and I could tell from other people's reactions, it wasn't normal. Since he'd never done it before and because he was the head of the company, he had an endless amount of time and he seemed completely out of it. Almost every day after school, I caught a ride home with Mokuba. It was partially to make sure he got home safely and partially so that I could see Kaiba. Most people take vacations to clear their heads and go to some beautiful exotic place. But not Kaiba. He was always sitting in his room, usually lying in bed, looking through his cards or looking up strategies online. I always brought him food and made him go take a shower. He didn't eat or shower otherwise. His mind was just somewhere else. Something in the duel against Yugi had changed him. It was exhausting and sad to see him like this, although it was nice that he'd lost his mean edge.

When he got out of the shower, he would usually lie down on the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist and I would lie in his arms and tell him about my day, ask him for help with my homework, or simply fall asleep. My mom understood. She said as long as I didn't come home knocked up, I could spend as much time at Kaiba's house as I wanted to.

One day after school, I showed up at Kaiba's to find him dressed and in clean clothes, showered, and getting ready to leave.

"Olive," he said, standing when I walked into the room. "I've been waiting for you."

"Oh," I said, startled. "Oh, Seto." I stepped forward and hugged him. "You look great! You look like you're feeling better."

He nodded. "I am, but there's something I need to talk to you about," he said.

"What's that?" I asked.

He leaned down and kissed me.

"I think we need to break up," he said, quietly.

I was shocked for a second.

"Are you kidding me?" I demanded. Anger was rising in my chest. "You can't kiss me and then tell me we need to break up! Who does that?"

"Look, Olive," he said. "I really, really care for you. I like you a lot more than originally intended."

"Oh, well thanks," I said, sarcastically. "That's flattering." Looking around, I could see that almost everything was cleared out of his room. He only had a briefcase with him.

"Olive!" he said, frustrated. "I'm sorry. I can't explain right now because I have to leave, but I don't want you to be held back or tied down while I'm not around, okay? There are some…things I have to take care of."

"Things to take care of. Kind of how I've been taking care of you for the past two weeks?" I snapped. "What things do you have to take care of?" I demanded.

"I can't discuss them with you," he said. He got his briefcase and said, "I really don't want to hurt you, but I do have to leave. And I'm sorry, but I think it would be best if we weren't together. I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want anyone coming after you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Don't question me," he said. "I hope I'll see you again one day." He tried to kiss my cheek, but I jerked out of the way.

He sighed and walked past me.

I turned and watched him go.

After standing by myself in Kaiba's empty bedroom for about an hour, wanting to cry but not being able to, I went to the gaming building where Joey, Yugi, Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were all playing cards. I sat down, hard, looking pissed. Everyone looked up at me.

"How's your _boyfriend_?" Joey sneered.

"What boyfriend?" I snapped. "Haven't you heard? I got dumped."

"What?" Yugi asked. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "No idea," I said. "Whatever." I ran my fingers through my hair, unable to hide how upset I was. "It shouldn't be a big deal, right? I'm only sixteen."

"That's a good way to look at it," said Bakura.

I looked up at him and he was smiling at me, something dark behind his eyes.

I ignored it. "So anyway, what's up?" I asked.

"Tea and Joey are dueling," said Yugi.

Tea paired a monster card with a magic card and beat Joey once again.

"You stink at this game," Tristan teased.

The next day after school, I was sitting against the wall, talking to Yugi and Joey while I sipped a smoothie.

"Tristan's right. I do stink at that game," Joey said. "Why can't I ever win? Yugi, teach me what I'm doing wrong."

"Well, let me see your deck, Joey," Yugi said. Yugi looked through it and then said, "No one could win with these. Joey, your deck's filled with nothing but monster cards."

"You got it. I packed it with every butt kicking monster I could find," said Joey.

"But that's not how the game works," said Yugi.

"Huh?" Joey asked.

I laughed. "Come on, Joey. Even I know you need magic cards to use with your monsters to win that game," I said.

Joey rolled his eyes.

"She's right, Joey," said Yugi. "You have to have magic cards and monster cards. They work together."

"See, this is the sort of stuff I need to know," said Joey. "You've gotta help me learn more."

When the bell rang, the three of us walked to The Game Shop together.

"My grandpa is the real expert," said Yugi. "Maybe he can help you." We walked in the door. "Hey, Grandpa! I brought you a new student," said Yugi.

"A very beautiful new student," he said, waving to me. "Hello, Olive."

I laughed. "Hi, Gramps," I said. "It's not me who need to learn though. It's Joey. I understand the game, I just don't care too much for it."

"That's too bad, Olive," said Yugi's grandpa. "I have a feeling you'd be quite the opponent. I've been putting together a deck for you."

"Aww," I said. "That is so sweet! Thank you."

Joey and Yugi began discussing cards with Yugi's grandpa. I hung out with them until my shift at Reynolds with Tea. Joey began training and learning with Yugi's grandpa every day after school. He worked and practiced really hard. All his free time was filled with practice.

It was a few weeks later, working with Tea again, that we caught a cab after work together. We went to Yugi's house to watch a Duel Monsters tournament. Tea was dressed in a denim mini skirt and a pink turtle neck sweater. I was wearing my mom's green shorts that she's worn to the airport and a large 'Job for a Cowboy' t-shirt that I'd taken from an ex-boyfriend a few years ago. We all collapsed on the couch and at snacks, watching the TV. I wasn't too excited, but everyone else seemed enthralled and Bakura was working that night so I had no one else to hang out with.

Joey began to brag loudly about how he should be a finalist in the duel championship.

"I know you've been training for weeks, but those guys are in a whole different league. You're just not ready yet," said tea.

"Yea, Joey," I added. "You'll get there."

"On top of that, you're so tired you can barely keep your eyes open," said Yugi.

Joey was dozing off as we spoke.

"I think Grandpa's lessons have been a bit tough on him," said Yugi.

Joey snored and we all laughed.

"You see, it's true what they say," said Tristan. "YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE."

Tea laughed and Joey jumped out of sleep.

"I must have been nuts to think I could ever learn this crazy game," Joey muttered. "Olive's got the right idea – no dueling, just dating."

"I'm not dating anyone," I mumbled.

"Time for your lesson," came Grandpa's voice from behind us. He was holding a package.

Joey jumped around. "Huh? We're not done?" he asked.

"Not by a long shot, you slacker," said Grandpa.

Joey moaned.

"Now, quit your whining, Joseph," said Grandpa. "I know you've been working really hard, but you are really coming along as a duelist! I'm quite proud of you."

"Aww, Gramps," said Joey, looking touched. He went to hug Yugi's grandpa, but he moved out of the way.

"Oh, by the way, Yugi," he said, as Joey fell to the floor. "This package came for you."

"What is it?" asked Yugi.

"I don't know," said Grandpa. "It just came in the mail."

"Huh," said Yugi, taking the package. "It's from Industrial Illusions."

"Those are the guys who make the Duel Monsters game," said Joey. "What could they be sending you?"

"No idea," said Yugi. "Is it possible they heard that I beat Kaiba?"

Tea glanced at me apologetically. I hadn't heard from Kaiba since our break up and everyone knew I was still very upset about it.

"It wasn't an official match or anything, but Kaiba did drop out of the tournament because of me," said Yugi.

"He dropped out?" I asked, quietly.

Yugi nodded. "It was all over the news," he said. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't know."

I pursed my lips, trying not to look hurt. "We don't talk anymore," I said.

"Whoa!" Tristan suddenly said, turning back to the TV. "Guys, Raptor just stopped Weevil!"

"Yugi, are these guys any good?" asked Joey.

"Oh yea, these guys are both really good," said Yugi. "Weevil specializes in bug cards and Raptor focuses on dinosaur cards."

"Itsy bitsy bugs compared to giant dinosaurs?" I asked, skeptically.

"Yea, sounds like Raptor has this one in the bad," said Joey.

"I wouldn't count on it," said Yugi.

Rex Raptor played a card called The Two Headed King Rex. Weevil Underwood laughed and played a Basic Insect card.

"He plays a wimpy bug against a giant dinosaur?" Joey scoffed. "That place is about to be covered in bug guts."

"Maybe," said Yugi. "But I wouldn't underestimate Weevil."

Rex Raptor attacked and Weevil revealed a trap card. Raptor's King Rex was trapped. Weevil used another card to give his bug armor and destroyed the King Rex card. Raptor's points went down to zero and he looked pissed.

"And now," said the announcer. "A special honor. Here to present the championship trophy, the creator of Duel Monsters and the president of Industrial Illusions. Ladies, gentlemen, and fellow duelists, I give you, Maximillion Pegasus!"

Pegasus was raised out of the floor on a platform. He was tall with white hair that covered one eye and a small smile. A smirk, really. He was wearing a red suit and holding the trophy. He walked over to Weevil and said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," said Weevil, taking the trophy.

"And," Pegasus added, "as regional champion, I am personally inviting you to participate in a whole new tournament I'll be hosting at Duelist Kingdom."

"Hey, what do you think of Pegasus?" asked Tristan, nudging me. "We all know how you like rich men."

"Shut up," I said, standing up. "I'm gonna go pee."

"Thanks for sharing," said Joey.

"Anytime," I said.

When I was finishing up and washing my hands, my phone began to ring. I quickly dried my hands and checked it. It was Kaiba.

"Hello?" I answered, as quickly as I possibly could. "Kaiba?"

"Olive, I need you to do something for me," he said. He was talking fast and in a hushed voice. "I need your help."

"You have no right to ask me for help," I said.

"OLIVE!" he yelled, surprising me. He had never yelled at me. Kaiba was a person who always kept his cool. "Listen to me! This is serious! I need your help and there is no one else I can trust."

"Sorry," I said. "What's up?"

"I need you to go to my place, now, and get Mokuba," he said.

"What?" I asked. "What is going on, Kaiba?"

"Be quiet for a second," he said. "I don't have time to explain everything, but please. I need you to listen carefully, Olive. I can't tell you very much. But there are some bad people who are going to come for Mokuba and try to take him away. People are trying to take over my company and Mokuba is the heir. Don't listen to any rumors that anyone spreads about me or my brother. And don't trust Pegasus."

"Maximillion Pegasus?" I asked.

"The one and only," he said, quietly. "I can barely hear you, but I hope you can hear me. Don't trust him, whatever you do. If Mokuba is gone when you get there, then go to Duelist Kingdom and enter the tournament if you can. Pegasus will have him in Duelist Kingdom if you don't get to him first. I know he will."

I shivered. It was really cold. I'd been gone almost fifteen minutes.

"I'll try, Kaiba," I said. "I promise."

"Thank you, Olive," he said. "I owe you. I miss you."

I began to respond, but he'd already hung up.

I left the bathroom. The room was freezing and everything had gone dark. I couldn't hear anyone. Before going back into the living room, I peered around the corner of the kitchen wall. Tea, Tristan, Joey, Yugi's grandfather, and even Yugi had collapsed on the floor. But there was another Yugi, a bigger, taller, more confident one, like the one who had dueled Kaiba. He was sitting in front of where the TV had been and was dueling a man who looked just like the Maximillion Pegasus I'd seen on the TV right before I went to the bathroom.

"Well, Yugi," said the man. "Our time together is nearly up and since I have more life points than you, it appears I am the victor."

"Time's not up yet, Pegasus," said Yugi. "And you left your Faceless Mage vulnerable to a physical assault."

Pegasus grimaced in anger. I could see in his eyes that he was not the kind of person who was used to being stood up to or disrespected. He was used to getting his way.

Yugi laid down a card. "Summoned Skull, attack!" he declared.

The split second before the skull attacked, the timer got to zero and the monsters disappeared.

Pegasus smiled. "Hmm, well we've run out of time," he said. "But how close was that? If you'd been able to complete that attack, I would have lost. But I didn't, die I? I've taken the measure of your talents today, Yugi Muto, and the next time we duel, it will be for far higher stakes."

"I'm done with your games," Yugi declared, angry.

Pegasus shook his finger at him, as if he were scolding a small child. "You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter. But," he said, pulling his hair aside to reveal his hidden eye, "I'm not."

From where I was hiding around the corner, I gasped. His left eye was made of gold.

"I too possess one of the seven millennium items," said Pegasus. "The all powerful millennium eye."

"A millennium eye?" Yugi gasped.

"That's right, Yugi boy. And now I'll show you the full extent of its magic," said Pegasus. "You see, I have found that, given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my games." A light shot out of the millennium eye and hit Yugi's grandfather. A see through spirit-like version of Yugi's grandfather seemed to rise up out of him and into the television.

Pegasus smiled and then looked straight at me. "Hello, Olive," he said. "Why are you hiding back there? Shouldn't you be off to fetch young Mokuba Kaiba?"

My eyes widened.

He threw his head back and laughed. "I've sent you an invitation to my island, Duelist Kingdom," he said. "I do hope to see you there, you beautiful girl. Now off to your task, before I send my men for you too."

He disappeared. The television screen turned to white noise. The image of Yugi's grandfather wavered on the screen.

"Yugi!" he called out, fearfully.

Suddenly Yugi looked like himself again. "Grandpa!" he cried.

The room faded back to color.

"Yes, we will meet again, Yugi," said Pegasus. "How else will you reclaim your grandfather's soul?"

Joey, Tea, and Tristan stared in shock as Yugi shook the TV, screaming for his grandfather.

"What happened?" asked Joey.

Tea turned to look at me.

I shook my head. "Can I borrow anyone's car?" I asked. "I have to go. Now. It's an emergency."

Joey tossed me his keys.

Yugi turned to me, pain and anger and confusion in his eyes. "How did he know your name?" Yugi demanded.

I shook my head. "I have no idea," I whispered.


	10. Pegasus

Chapter Ten

I drove as fast as I could, praying that I didn't get pulled over. When I finally got to Kaiba's house, I slammed on the brakes. I left the car running and ran to the door. I tried the knob, but it was locked. I rang the doorbell several times, even though it was dark inside. When no one answered, I ran back to the car and sped down the street to Kaiba Corporation. I ran inside and got to the floor with Kaiba's office on it. Down the hall, I could see the conference room. The door was slightly ajar and I could see Mokuba peering inside.

"Mokuba," I whispered, trying to get his attention and talk as quietly as I could at the same time. I started walking quietly down the hallway. "Mokuba," I whispered again.

I reached him and whispered his name once again.

He turned and saw me and smiled.

"Mokuba, we have to go," I told him. "They're going to try and kidnap you."

"I know," he whispered. "I heard them talking about it. He said that my big brother was going to meet with an accident and that they were going to kidnap me to control the company." A sad look filled his eyes. "Seto abandoned me, Olive," he said. "He disappeared and Pegasus moved right in."

"He didn't abandon you, sweetie," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "He sent me here to get you. So come on."

"Wait," said Mokuba. "I want to listen.

Against my better judgment, I waited.

"We have one final condition," one of the men in the conference room was saying. "That brat who beat Kaiba in a duel has tarnished Kaiba Corps good name and we insist that you restore it."

That was when I heard his voice. Pegasus. It sent chills and nausea through my body. This man had some kind of otherworldly power that I hadn't believed was real until tonight. I had just seen him steal a man's soul through a television screen and now here he was, only feet from me.

"Well," he said. He sounded like he was smiling. "How fortuitous." He opened his eyes and glanced at the door. I was almost sure he'd seen Mokuba and me. I gasped and leaned back out of the way, trying to pull Mokuba with me. "Plans for me to duel Yugi are already underway."

Mokuba moved backwards with me slowly. We stood and turned to run to the elevator, only to come face to face with a huge man in a suit and sunglasses.

"Now," said Pegasus. "To show that I truly am the man for the job, Chemo, please bring me young Kaiba along with Miss Reynolds, would you? I'd like to have a word with her as well."

The man reached out to grab me, but I blocked his arm and hit him in the stomach. When I was younger, my mom had insisted I take karate lessons and I'd taken kickboxing for the last few years – mostly as a workout. The hit to the stomach barely fazed him. This man was brute force. He picked Mokuba up before Mokuba even thought to move.

"Mokuba!" I cried. I tried to grab him or grab the man's hand, but he grabbed my arm and dragged both of us into the conference room.

Mokuba was kicking and screaming. I tried to pull away until we entered the room.

I didn't want Pegasus to see me struggling to get away.

"Let me go, you creep!" Mokuba said. "I heard everything and when I tell my brother…"

"You see, gentlemen," said Pegasus. "This is how, officially, you can expect me to handle our business. Young Kaiba is captured. Yugi will be defeated, and Seto Kaiba will bother us no longer." He laughed. "Dismissed," he told everyone. They left quickly and quietly through some back doors so that we never saw their faces.

"Chemo," he said, addressing the man who'd capture us. "Please take Mokuba to the car. Subdue him, if need be. I'd like to have a private word with Miss Reynolds."

"Sure thing, boss," said Chemo. He threw me forward and I stumbled, but didn't fall. Then he left with Mokuba.

Pegasus smiled. "If only you hadn't stopped to check the house," he said. "You may have gotten here in time to whisk young Kaiba away." He chuckled. "But no need to rub salt in the wound, I suppose," he said. He stood and held out his hand. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. Maximillion Pegasus."

I stared at his hand and then looked back at his face.

"Come on, Olive," he said, withdrawing his hand. "Don't be rude. I could have taken you away in the back of that car with Mokuba Kaiba. You could disappear very easily tonight and no one would know where you were. You don't want that now, do you?"

Reluctantly, I shook my head.

"Well then," he said. "Let's try that again." He held out his hand.

I took it. "Nice to meet you, Mister Pegasus," I whispered. "My name is Olive Reynolds."

"Please," he said. "Sit."

He took a seat himself and I sat across from him.

Smiling, he surveyed me over his hands.

"You are very, very interesting to me," he said. "You'll be the last person Seto Kaiba ever contacts. It's very tragic."

"You'd better not hurt him," I said.

"Is that a threat, pretty girl?"

"Don't call me that."

He smiled. "Oh, you're fun," he said. "I'd like to invite you, personally, to play at Duelist Kingdom."

I shook my head. "I don't play Duel Monsters," I said.

He shrugged. "Then consider yourself my guest of honor," he said. "If I ever get a chance to duel Kaiba again, I want you to have a front row seat when he's defeated."

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

He laughed. "Oh, Olive," he said. "You are currently sitting in a room with me guarded by some of my best men. Do you really think you're in a position to refuse anything I ask of you?" he asked. "If you don't want to accept my kind invitation to attend willingly, I can always just take you there with me right now. Just some more bait for Kaiba to come after, really. It's not a bad idea." He grinned at the expression on my face and then handed me an invitation. "However, I'd love for you to make the right choice." He leaned across the table and pulled aside his hair so I could see what he'd called the Millennium Eye. "I can read your soul, Olive," he whispered, "your every thought." He reached out and touched my face. It was all I could do not to shrink away from him. "I look forward to seeing you on my island, beautiful."


	11. Weevil's 'Strategy'

Chapter Eleven

"Why did you and Kaiba break up again?" my mom asked.

"Mom!" I complained. "I don't want to talk about him. This is supposed to be a relaxing spa day before that dumb Duelist Kingdom trip I'm going on."

"Why are you going if you don't want to?" asked Tea, who had been invited by my mom to join our girl's day. We were spending a couple of hours at the spa. My mom had signed us up for basically the whole package – massages, facials, body scrubs, getting a hair treatment, pedicures, manicures, and time in the sauna. I was leaving for Duelist Kingdom the next evening.

"I was invited," I said. "I'm not playing, but I was invited to observe, I guess. I don't really know. It's rude to refuse an invitation." I turned to Tea and, in a low voice, added, "Besides, I would never refuse Pegasus after what he did to Yugi's grandpa."

Tea nodded, knowingly. "That's true," she said. "I don't think I'd want to go against him either."

"Is Kaiba going to be at Duelist Kingdom?" asked my mom.

"Mom!" I exclaimed again. "I don't know!"

"Is Bakura?" she asked.

I shrugged. "You know," I said. "I never even asked him. Did he ask for work off?"

My mom nodded. "Yup," she said. "I have an entirely different staff working during this tournament because everyone is off to that island."

"That's interesting," I said, quietly, wondering why Bakura hadn't said anything to me.

Later that night and the next day, I tried to call Bakura several times, but he didn't answer. The last time that I tried to call him, his phone was turned off.

Yugi picked me up in a taxi.

My mom had made lunches for both of us. I was only bringing a backpack with me. I had a couple changes of clothes, a pair of shoes that were really comfortable to walk in, the deck of cards that Yugi's grandpa had given to me, my iPod, and my cell phone. I was wearing skinny jeans and a green t-shirt. I met Yugi without any shoes on, but slipped my sandals on in the taxi. I'd gotten my hair cut the day before so instead of falling to my waist, it fell just past my shoulder blades instead. I had thought that long hair might just get in the way. I didn't really know what to expect so I was trying to be ready for anything that might come up.

Yugi chatted about how excited he was. He admitted how nervous he was too. He knew he couldn't afford any mistakes. He needed to get his grandpa back.

"I'm really glad that you're here, Olive," he told me. "This would be really difficult if I was all on my own. I know we haven't known each other for long but…" he paused and smiled at me. "I'm glad that you're here.

I smiled back. "I did hear Joey saying that he was going to try and sneak on the boat," I told him. "Maybe we won't be alone after all, but thanks. I'm glad you're here too. I couldn't imagine being here alone. I wouldn't even know what to do, especially since I'm not even dueling."

"Why did Pegasus invite you if you aren't a duelist?" asked Yugi.

I shrugged. "Hell if I know," I said. "He invited me to be in the tournament and when I told him I didn't play Duel Monsters, he told me he wanted me there as a guest of honor. He said if he ends up fighting Kaiba, he wants me to be there. But he also basically told me he was going to try and kill Kaiba, so I don't know what that man has going through his head."

"Neither do I," said Yugi. "But I think it has something to do with my millennium puzzle."

"Can I see it?" I asked.

"Sure," said Yugi, slipped the necklace off from around his neck.

I examined the markings on it. "It looks Egyptian," I said. "Like ancient Egypt, I mean. Do you know where it came from or what any of it means?"

"I've thought that too," said Yugi. "My grandpa gave it to me. It came in pieces and I had to put it together. But ever since I got it, I've felt more…confident. Especially when I'm dueling."

"Do you mind if I put it on?" I asked. "My mom claims she dreams about the future all the time and sometimes when she touches items or people, she just knows things. She can say some pretty crazy things, but it'd be cool if it worked somehow."

"Go ahead," said Yugi.

"Thanks," I said. I slipped the millennium puzzle over my head while Yugi looked through his deck, planning and strategizing. I closed my eyes and began to focus on the puzzle, touching it with just the tips of my fingers.

The metal was smooth and cold, but with divots and ridges where the pieces connected and where the eye symbol on the front was. I could have sworn that as I ran my fingers over it, the metal grew warmer when I touched it. Finally, I fell asleep.

I dreamt of people who were playing some sort of game with each other. I could have sworn two of the people were Kaiba and Yugi dressed in very different, ancient clothes. There were monsters like duel monsters and shadows. There were golden eyes all over the place looking at me. Everything was swirling around in my mind. I dodged the monster attacks, and then there was Yugi, right in front of me. The taller, more confident Yugi that seemed to appear while Yugi dueled.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," I responded.

"You are Olive," he stated.

"You are…Yami," I replied, not knowing where the name came from.

He gave a firm nod. "Yugi will learn more about me as our connection to each other grows," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

But then everything started shaking and crumbling, like an earthquake.

"Olive. Olive!" I heard Yugi say. I sat up really fast. "Olive, we're here," said Yugi, smiling. "You fell asleep. Sorry for shaking you, but you wouldn't wake up. Let's go get in line with the other duelists. Can I have my puzzle back?"

"What? Oh, sure," I said, handing him back his millennium puzzle. I grabbed my backpack and followed him to the dock where a crowd of people was waiting to board the boat. I shook my head while we waited, trying to rid myself of sleepiness, and put my backpack on. I hadn't wanted to bring a big duffle bag or suitcase, in case we weren't staying in a place with closets. Besides, I'd been able to fit survival guide stuff, like a blanket, a knife, and a first aid kit, clothes, some shoes, and some food, mostly snack food, which would last me several days in my backpack. My mom, being the crazy person that she was, had always been one to pick me up from school in the middle of the day and take off on some crazy road trip. We'd slept in the car several times, had it break down in random places. Eventually, I'd made it a habit of always keeping toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, a first aid kit, some snacks, and a change of clothes in my backpack. I always kept sleeping bags and blankets stashed in the back of the car.

I was explaining this to Yugi and he was laughing at the craziness of my mother, who all my friends loved, when someone began speaking.

"Attention all duelists," said the man on board. He had a very loud voice. I looked up and saw it was Chemo, the guy who had captured Mokuba. "Welcome to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions. You received, with your invitation, the star chips that will grant you entry into the competition. You are all elite, invited by us after close observation of your past duel monsters contests. You each have a fair and equal chance to win. It all comes down to how well you've chosen your cards and how well you play. Now then, duelists cross the ocean and enter the duelist kingdom."

Everyone cheered and formed into a line.

Another man told everyone, "Present your star chips as you board the vessel."

"Hey, you! Get out of here!" we heard someone say. "Only official contestants are allowed on board."

"How do you know I'm not official?" was the response.

"That sounded like Joey," I said to Yugi.

"Because," said the man. "The official duelists aren't trying to sneak on board through the lower hatches."

We leaned out of line and watched two men trying to drag Joey away.

"Joey?" Yugi exclaimed, leaving our spot in line and running over to them. I stayed in line. "What the…"

"I came here to duel and I'm gonna duel!" Joey declared.

"Joey?" asked Yugi. "What are you doing here, Joey?"

Joey laughed. "Did you really think I'd let you do this alone?" he asked.

"Leave him alone," said Yugi. "He's with me."

"Only duelists with a star chip are allowed on board," said the guard.

"But Joey has a star chip," said Yugi. "Didn't he tell you?"

"I do?" asked Joey.

"Yes. You do," said Yugi. He handed Joey one of his star chips.

"Everyone else has two star chips," said one of the men. "You'll be at a disadvantage."

"That's okay," said Yugi. "I'd rather take that risk and have my friend here. I need him with me."

"What do we do?" one of the men asked the other.

The other man sighed and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number. "Mister Pegasus," he said. "We've got a problem, sir."

After explaining the situation, Joey was allowed to board. He got in line with us. At the front of the line, I began to explain who I was and why I didn't have any star chips.

"Don't worry, Miss Reynolds," one of the men said. "You're on the list. We've been notified. Go ahead on board. Here's your room number and key."

"Thank you," I said.

Once on board, we stood together on deck, watching the land grow smaller and smaller as it got further away. I sighed a little, feeling anxious.

"I'm glad they let you on board, Joey," said Yugi.

"Only because you sacrificed one of your star chips," said Joey. "If any other players find out we only have one star chips, they could really take advantage of us."

"So keep quiet about it," I suggested, smiling.

"You almost got that Kaiba smirk perfect," Joey teased.

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. I loved the smell of the ocean air. It was keeping me relaxed.

"This is kind of exciting, isn't it, Yugi?" Joey said.

"Yea," Yugi said.

"Well, what do we have here?" someone behind us asked.

We all turned. A tall, thin model-esque girl was standing behind us. She was beautiful, but very fierce looking at the same time. She had long, thick blonde wavy hair that reminded me of my mother's, only it looked like her natural color. Her eyes were a light violet color and her skin was a very light tan. She had a perfect little nose and full, over-glossed lips. She was wearing a white corset-style top that pushed up her boobs under a fitted purple jacket that matched her purple mini skirt and purple knee-high boots. Her belly button was showing. She was wearing her glove with the star chips on one hand and carrying a bag.

I rolled my eyes as Joey stared at her, his eyes growing big. "Wow," he murmured.

"So, you're the Yugi kid everybody keeps talking about," she said. "But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You're famous, you know."

Yugi also looked flushed and shocked that such a good looking girl was talking to him. I rolled my eyes, feeling a little jealous that I looked so plain compared to her. Boys.

"Thanks very much, I think," said Yugi.

"Hey, Miss," said Joey. "I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist, in fact…"

"Look," she cut him off. "You're either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose. He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games." She gave Joey a disgusted look, nodded at me, and turned to walk away.

"Please, crush me," said Joey.

"Pig," I muttered, under my breath, turning back to watch the water.

"I'll crush you all, eventually," she said, with a smile. "The name's Mai."

I followed Yugi and Joey inside to find their rooms. It turned out, there weren't really rooms. There were several areas of cushioned floor with cubbies for people's backpacks. Everyone would be sleeping there. I glanced at the key in my hand. Except for me, I guessed.

"Hey!" Joey complained. "Is this some sort of joke? This is a luxury cruiser. I know you got better rooms than this somewhere."

"You again?" asked one of the men in charge. "We cut you a break earlier and now you're causing more trouble. Do you _want_ to get kicked out of here?"

"Hey," said someone behind us. "Aren't you that kid Yugi?"

"I guess we better get used to this," I said, rolling my eyes.

We turned to see Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor, the two duelists we'd been watching on TV the night of Yugi's duel against Pegasus.

"Yea," said Yugi. "And you're…"  
"Weevil," Joey interrupted. "And Rex! The dino duelist." There was awe in his voice.

I just surveyed the two of them. Not bad looking, but not really cute either. Rex had long, shaggy brown hair with a purple streak in the front. He wore a red had, a green jacket, and permanent look of arrogance in his eyes. He looked like a bully. Weevil, however, looked more nerdy, but still smug and arrogant. He was wearing a green trench coat and had well groomed pale green hair. His glasses were a gold color.

"You're wasting your time with those guys," Rex told Joey. "The nice rooms only go to finalists from the last tournament, like us."

"Yea, and stupid Olive," Joey complained, pointing at me.

Rex smirked. "Nice to meet you, stupid Olive," he said.

"It's Olive Reynolds," I said.

"May we look forward to playing against you, gorgeous?" asked Weevil in a voice that made my skin crawl.

I shook my head. "I don't play," I said. "Pegasus invited me here as an observer."

"Hmm," said Weevil. "Well if you ever want to get together, I can certainly teach you a thing or two about Duel Monsters."

"Like she would want to learn from you with your disgusting insects," Rex interrupted. "I can see when a girl likes powerful people. She'd love the power of my dino cards. You can dump that loser and come to my room anytime, sweetheart," said Rex, grinning wolfishly.

I smiled politely. "Thanks," I said.

"Congratulations on winning the regional's, Weevil," Yugi said.

"It was nothing," said Weevil, modestly.

"Yea," Rex piped in. "I went easy on him that time."

Weevil scowled at him.

"Yea," Joey interrupted. "Well this time Yugi and I are going to take the tournament, right Yugi?"

"To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement," Weevil said, looking at Yugi. "I guess I can't really call myself the champion until I defeat the duelist who beat Kaiba. But I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly," he adjusted his glasses. "I look forward to it."

"I look forward to it too," said Yugi.

"I look forward to some dino demolition," Rex said.

"I, however, look back fondly on my not-too-distant past and the lack of Duel Monsters there," I said, sarcastically. "Oh, those beautiful memories," I sighed.

Joey nudged me in the ribs. "Eh, shut up, Olive," he teased.

I laughed.

"Hey, I'm going to go find my room," I told Joey and Yugi. "I'm in number thirteen in case you need to find me for something, okay?"

Yugi nodded. "See you in a little bit," he said.

"Okay," I said and I walked away.

I passed the girl named Mai again in the hallway. She was complaining to someone about how she needed her own room with a shower.

"Keep acting out," said Rex from behind me, "and they'll throw you off the boat."

I hadn't even realized he was behind me. I turned to watch them.

"Who do you think you are?" Mai snapped, irritably.

"A champion with a luxury room," Rex bragged.

"Really?" Mai asked, suddenly sweet at sugar. "Could I see it?"

"You bet," said Rex, looking excited. "Come check it out."

I rolled my eyes and left. After settling in my room, I met Yugi and Joey back on deck. They were discussing some cards Joey had traded for, when Weevil showed up.

"Ah, we meet again," he said. "The evening wind sure feels nice," he said, standing at the edge and looking out over the water. "Did you trade for any good cards, Yugi?"

"Nah," said Yugi. "I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me."

"I figured," said Weevil. "You used the Exodia cards in your duel with Kaiba, right?"

"How do people even know that?" I asked. "It wasn't broadcasted. I mean, I thought Joey and Mokuba and me were the only people watching."

"You were there?" asked Weevil, peering at me.

"Yea," I said. "Kaiba and I dated for almost six months."

"Interesting," Weevil said. He turned back to Yugi. "Those are the most powerful cards of them all," he said.

Yugi nodded. "Yea, and they're really rare."

"Could I possibly…see those legendary cards?" Weevil asked, sounded like a kid in a candy store. He was practically shaking with anticipation.

"I don't see why not," Yugi said. "Just be careful with them. Okay?" Yugi picked up the five cards and handed them to him. "Here."

"So," Weevil said, gazing at them. "These are the five cards to summon Exodia. For a long time, I've been trying to come up with a strategy to finally beat these cards. But I couldn't come up with anything, til just this moment." He turned towards the water.

"Huh?" asked Yugi, confused.

"You trust people too easily," I said, trying to make it to Weevil before he did what I knew was coming. I moved fast, but Weevil moved faster.

"Say goodbye to Exodia!" Weevil cried, throwing the cards into the water.

He laughed and walked away. "Now there's no one that can challenge me!" he said, happily.

Joey made to go after him, but I touched his arm. "I'll take care of it," I said.

Joey nodded.

I walked down the hall quickly after Weevil. He had just shut the door to his room when I reached him. The door next to his room flew open and some cards and a bag came flying out, along with Rex Raptor.

"Get lost!" Mai said, following him into the hall. "I won."

I knocked quickly on Weevil's door.

He answered quickly as well.

"Well, well," he said. "What is this? Realized who is the more powerful duelist, I presume. Well, why don't you come inside?"

"I just needed to give you something," I said.

"Oh?" asked Weevil, grinning. "Anything from you, sweetheart."

I pulled my fist back and punched him in the nose. He cried out in shock and pain. Blood splattered and I heard a very sickening, very satisfying crunch. "Screw you," I said. "Grow a pair."

He slammed the door in my face. Mai clapped her hands together happily.


	12. Duel: Yugi vs Weevil

Chapter Twelve

When I got back out to the deck, Yugi and Joey were soaked and, somehow, Tristan and Tea were with them.

"Stowaways!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, grinning. "I'm gonna make you walk the plank! Stow…" Tristan covered my mouth to stop me from shouting again and I laughed. "So what the hell happened?" I asked.

"Joey dove over the side of the boat to try and get my cards," Yugi said. "I followed when he started drowning. Then all of the sudden, a ladder came down. It was Tristan and Tea. They snuck on with the cargo."

I nodded at the two of them, smiling. "Bad ass, you guys," I said. "But you two can stay in my room, if you want. There's enough room for Tea to sleep in the bed with me and Tristan you can sleep on the couch or the floor. It's pretty cold out here."

"Yes it is!" Tea agreed. "Thank you."

It was a pretty restless night, but the next morning, we got up early to stand out at the front of the ship and watch the island get closer and closer on the horizon. The boat docked that afternoon and I stole some leftover food from the kitchen before leaving, just in case.

"Finding your grandpa isn't going to be easy," Joey said.

"Well, we gotta start somewhere," said Yugi.

"What if someone finds out we're stowaways, Tea?" asked Tristan. "Maybe we should just swim back now."

"Are you insane?" asked Tea. "We're in the middle of nowhere. Just act normal."

After we'd all disembarked, Joey cheered. "All right!" he cried. "Every single one of us made it here, safe and…" he sneezed.

"Ew!" Tea cried, jumping out the way.

I handed him a Kleenex.

"You would never have caught that cold if it wasn't for Weevil," said Yugi, looking a little sad.

"Speaking of our wormy friend," said Joey. "Looks like he's already trying to start some trouble."

"Welcome, all duelists!" said Chemo. "Please, follow the stairs to meet your host." He motioned to a huge stone staircase, leading up to a castle. He smirked at me. "Nice to see you again, Miss Reynolds," he said.

I ignored him.

"That castle's gotta belong to Pegasus," said Yugi.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Joey. "Let's go."

"What's that?" asked Tea, looking into the trees as we walked up the stairs.

I followed her gaze, but didn't see anything.

"What do you see, Tea?" asked Yugi.

"It looked like…Bakura," said Tea.

"Bakura?" asked Yugi. "From school?"

"Again with this Bakura stuff?" asked Tristan. "She thought she saw him on the boat too."

"That's two times I've seen him," said Tea. "Maybe it's all in my head."

"No one else saw him on the boat," I said. "And I couldn't get a hold of him before we left."

We reached the top of the stairs and looked around at all the duelists. Yugi pointed a guy named Mako Tsunami to me. We overheard some kids talking about how Yugi was supposed to be the kid to beat now, since he'd defeated Kaiba. It still made me feel a mixture of anger and sadness to hear anyone talk about Kaiba.

"Attention," said Chemo, who was standing on the balcony now. "Please gather round. Your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all."

Yugi glared up at the balcony.

"Boy, would I like to get just five minutes alone with that guy," Joey muttered.

Pegasus almost seemed to meet Yugi's eyes for a second. I could have sworn he nodded at me as well.

"Greetings, duelists," said Pegasus. "I am Maximillion Pegasus. It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the Duelist Kingdom. You stand before me the world's greatest duelists! But come tournament's end, only one will be crowned King of Games. I implore you all to assemble your dueling decks with care, with creativity, and with cunning, for this competition will test your skills like never before. To track your progress in this tournament, you've each been given a dueling glove." Self consciously, I felt my empty wrist, which made me, Tea, and Tristan stick out. "You've also been given two star chips. You must wager these star chips in every duel you compete in. To advance to the final level of competition, for a chance at the three million dollar prize, you must win ten star chips. Ten star chips will admit you into my castle where you'll face me in one final duel." Yugi couldn't take his eyes off Pegasus as he spoke. His features were filled with rage and frustration.

"It's okay," I whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get inside."

"Thanks," he murmured.

"This will be a tournament unlike any ever experienced," Pegasus continued. "State of the art dueling arenas cover this entire island and intriguing new dueling rules will be in affect. I could tell you what these new rules are, but what fun would that be? You'll discover them as you compete or you won't last very long. Remember, play boldly, think strategically, and duel mercilessly. You have one full hour to prepare both your cards and yourselves. When the sky lights up with fireworks, the duels will begin!" He turned and left. Cheers and clapping followed him.

We moved quickly to find a place to set up camp. Tea and I both agreed we should be in a place where we wouldn't be ambushed or attacked by anyone in the middle of the night. When we found a place, Joey offered to give Yugi his star chip back, but Yugi declined.

"You know," I said to Yugi, as I changed out of my jeans and into a pair of shorts. Tea blushed and looked away. She was embarrassed by my lack of embarrassment when it came to changing in front of...well, anyone. "You're a really good person, Yugi." I left my shirt on, but pulled my hair back into a ponytail. "Joey is lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thank you, Olive," he said. "I'm lucky to have a friend like Joey too. And I'm glad that you ended up moving out here. It's been amazing to have you here as well."

I smiled. "Thank you," I said. I stepped out of my sandals and into a pair of running shoes.

"You can do it," I heard Tea encouraging Joey. "Just steer clear of some of the more experienced duelists at first."

"Yea," Tristan piped in. "It's just a matter of working your way up."

"Thanks, you guys," said Joey. "Well, Yugi. Between your grandpa and my sister, we don't have any room for mistakes."

"Right," said Yugi.

The fireworks started to go off.

"It's starting!" said Tea.

"Let's do it!" Yugi said. He was excited.

We started walking through a field. Yugi was talking about how he wanted to find Weevil because they had a score to settle and Joey was agreeing.

"That kid gives me the creeps," I said.

"Me too," Tea agreed.

"Have you seen the way he looks at me? You too, come to think of it," I said to her.

She nodded. "Yea," she said. "What a creep."

"It's because you both have bi…" Joey began.

"Beautiful eyes," Yugi interrupted.

We laughed.

Then Joey said, "Wait, isn't that Weevil up there?"

"Weevil!" Yugi yelled. "I challenge you to a duel."

Weevil laughed. He turned around and began to run.

We were running through a forest that was swarmed with moths. Finally, we reached a clearing where Weevil stood, watching us.

"Welcome, said the spider to the fly," said Weevil. "You've flown right into my trap, again."

"How's your nose?" I asked.

He scowled at me.

"It's time you answer for what you did on the boat, Weevil," said Yugi.

Just like the time he had dueled Kaiba, I swore I saw his millennium puzzle glow. And then there he was. The more confident Yugi; his alter ego, I guess. It was the Yugi that I had called Yami.

"Did you see that?" I whispered to Tea.

"See what?" she asked, looking around.

"Yugi's puzzle," I said. "I could swear I saw it glow."

"It must have been a trick of the light," Tea said. "I've never noticed anything."

"Yea," I agreed, not sounding like I agreed at all. "It must have."

"Alright, Weevil," said Yugi. "It's time to find out if you're as good at dueling as you are at running away."

"Was I running?" He asked. "Or was I leading you into my trap?"

"It's time to duel!" Yugi declared.

"As you wish!" Weevil shouted. The ground began to shake and open up. An arena was raised out of the ground.

"Meet you on the field," said Weevil.

"I don't like this," Joey said, uneasily. "Weevil's a little too cocky."

Yugi wagered his star chip and his dueling deck.

Some people walking in the woods stopped to look.

"Yami," I said, and Yugi looked right at me, before thinking twice. When he realized what I'd said, he looked confused. I smiled. "Good luck," I said.

They began to duel and Weevil revealed that if he played his bugs in the forest area of the arena, they would get a field power bonus and become stronger. Yugi's side of the arena was a wasteland, which he quickly figured out how to use too.

"You can beat him, Yugi!" Tea cheered him on.

Weevil played a Hercules beetle and Yugi countered with Feral Imp and a Horn of the Unicorn magic card. Even with the magic card, Yugi's card did no good. Weevil destroyed it. Yugi laid a card down in defense and Weevil played a card called Basic Insect. It was the card he'd played when he won the duel championship. The basic insect quickly wiped out his feral imp and Yugi played another card face down.

Yugi played the Dark Magician and Weevil attacked, activating a trap card that Yugi had laid down. The attack was reflected back at Weevil and all his insects were destroyed.

"Good job, Yugi!" Joey cheered. "You wiped out his monsters in one move!"

"Way to go!" said Tea. "You've got him on the ropes!"

I hung back and watched quietly.

There was a laugh from behind us and we turned to see Mai. "You losers don't seem to realize who your little pal is up against. Weevil's regional champion."

Tea scowled. "Nobody asked you!" she yelled. "So why don't you just take a hike?"

"And miss the chance to watch a champion like Weevil turn this around?" asked Mai. "No way." She turned to me and grinned. "You bored yet, sweetie?" she asked. "You're a really good looking girl. Tea too. What are you doing with these losers?" She motioned to my bare wrist as well. "You aren't even a duelist."

I laughed. "Hey, I still know what happens in that last second when all the life points go down for someone," I said. "I'm just here to support my friend."

"I heard you're on the look out for your ex, as well," said Mai.

"What?" I asked.

"I heard you used to date Kaiba," she said. "I heard you're here to see if he shows up."

I shook my head. "No," I said, quietly. "We didn't exactly end on great terms. I was just invited here by Pegasus as an observer."

She looked me up and down. "Lucky you," she said. "I'll keep an eye out for you. I'll teach you how to play, one of these days. Who knows, you could turn out to be a formidable opponent."

I laughed, but appreciated that she was being kind to me. I looked up to Yugi. He looked so determined. He cleverly got rid of a trap card that Weevil had laid down earlier. Then Weevil called some sort of nasty caterpillar looking bug and sealed it in a cocoon so it could grow stronger and become a great moth.

Yugi looked frustrated.

"Hang in there, Yugi!" Tea called.

"You gotta win this for your grandpa," said Joey. "He's counting on you."

"Just focus," I said, quietly.

"I know he is," said Yugi.

"Then you can't keep letting this little creep push you around," said Joey. "You've gotta get fired up!"

"So," said Mai. "Do you guys sit around and work up these lame cheers, or do they just come to you? I mean, don't you realize that your pep talk nonsense only distracts Yugi from the game?"

"How would you know?" Tea snapped, angrily. "I bet no one's even wanted to be your friend, let alone care enough to cheer you on."

"Ouch," I murmured. "That was rude, Tea."

"Friends haven't helped Yugi any," said Mai. "He's losing."

Yugi looked down at us and smiled.

"Well, Mai," said Tea. "From the look on Yugi's face, I'd say having friends just did help him out. So there."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Brat," she muttered under her breath.

Yugi laid down a card called curse of dragon with a magic card so that the dragon could breathe fire and destroy the forest. Weevil lost his field power bonus and Yugi attacked the cocoon with Gaia the Fierce Knight.

"It's still…it's still moving," Joey said.

"You're surprised?" asked Mai. "I told you Weevil was good."

"Just focus," I repeated, quietly.

"Why do you say that?" asked Mai.

I turned to her and smiled. "I don't need to cheer," I said, shrugging. "I'm just sending him good energy. I know it sounds dumb, but it's something my mom learned at some weird class she decided to take. Energy and attitude affect everything, you know?" I looked back up at Yugi and smiled a little. "I think Yugi's gonna pull through."

"Want to bet?" asked Mai.

"Sure," I said.

We continued to watch.

Poison from the moth had been affecting Yugi's knight. Yugi played a card that made it rain, which washed away the poison. But then Weevil attacked with a tornado. Yugi's monsters were killed.

"Yugi, keep fighting!" Joey called. "You can come back from this!"

"You're all delusional," said Mai, rolling her eyes.

"Yugi never gives up," said Tea, simply. "And we never give up on him."

"Like I said, you're nuts," Mai replied. "Weevil just destroyed his strongest combo and he's down to fifty life points. He can't win, so do me a favor and stop talking."

"I won't stop talking, you selfish, pompous, bleach blonde, know-it-all windbag," Tea snapped.

"And by windbag, she means bitch," I said, snickering. "She's just too good to use the word."

"Do us a favor," Tea continued, "and get lost. Right, Joey?"

"You said it," Joey added. "Just ignore her. Yugi's in trouble."

"I know," said Tea. "What can we do?"

"I don't know," said Joey. "I wish we could trade Mai in for life points."

Tea laughed out loud.

It was then that Tristan pointed out that Yugi was smiling.

"He's not smiling," said Tea. "I think he's laughing."

"No way," said Mai, in disbelief.

"Weevil," said Yugi, "I know it will be hard for you to accept losing a duel. Especially since you found so many ways to cheat. But, if you thought bending the rules would help you win this match, you're wrong."

"No!" Weevil cried. "This is a trick!"

"You duel dishonestly, and so you expect the same from your opponents," said Yugi. "But I duel with honor, and that makes all the difference."

"You've got nothing!" Weevil insisted in a panicked voice.

"Here's what I've got," said Yugi. "The mighty Summoned Skull."

"Wow," said Mai. "What's that?"

Weevil grinned.

"There's something you overlooked, Weevil. My mist is still affecting the field. Everything's soaked. And my summoned skull attacks with lightening, which makes your bug one big lightening rod," said Yugi.

The skull attacked and the moth was destroyed.

"It's over," said Yugi. "I've won."

"Way to go!" Joey and Tristan cheered.

"You've won!" Tea exclaimed. "I knew you would!"

"Impressive," said Mai, admiration creeping into her voice. "I didn't think Yugi could ever beat Weevil."

"People surprise you sometimes," I told her. "See you again soon."


	13. Losing Mokuba

Chapter Thirteen

As the next few days passed, I spent a lot of time cooking and studying the game. I spent most of my time talking to everyone when they needed someone. Everyone was so caught up in the games that they could barely relax. Since I didn't care much about duel monster, I was relaxed. Everything was just like a long camping trip. Joey talked to me about his sister. Tea talked to me about her faith in Yugi and her constant worrying about him. Tristan talked about how he was worried about Joey's cocky attitude. Yugi talked about his grandfather. At night, I found the cliffs or the beach, wherever we were located, and I watched the water and the sky.

Mai battled Joey and lost. She took it hard. Afterwards, we realized we'd run out of food. Tristan and I began discussing his wildlife survival book. We ended up running into Mako Tsunami, who had been cooking fish.

That was when Mako dueled Yugi. Tea couldn't stop staring at Mako's tan skin and rock hard abs. I couldn't stop teasing Tea, which turned into everyone teasing me about Kaiba. Yugi beat Mako and we moved on, camping somewhere new almost every night.

One morning, we ran into a guy who insisted someone had stolen his star chips. We went in search of the thief, who turned out to be Mokuba Kaiba. He had been trying to avenge his brother and get Yugi out of the tournament so he wouldn't be allowed to face Pegasus.

After the duel, Mokuba hugged me around the waist and we began to talk quietly.

He told me about how Kaiba had refused to go to the tournament at duelist kingdom. He'd said there was no point and claimed he was in no condition. It had been heartbreaking for Mokuba, who looked up to his brother. He said he felt as if he'd lost a piece of himself that day. That was the day he broke up with me and the day he disappeared.

"You're going to be okay now," I told Mokuba. "I'm so sorry I let them get you before, but you're okay now."

He nodded and agreed to return the stolen star chips, after a few minutes of Yugi's persuasive talking.

"Where is your brother?" I asked Mokuba, in a whisper, after a few minutes of walking.

"Well," said Mokuba, "we have a cottage near the sea where we used to vacation. That's the only place that I think he might go. But I heard Pegasus saying that his men went after him and that my brother dove into the sea. They're saying…they're saying that he's dead!"

"He's not dead," I said. "He can't be."

At the dock, we found the boat had already left. When Mokuba offered the star chips, Chemo knocked them into the water and grabbed Mokuba.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Yugi declared.

"Meet me back at this arena in exactly four hours," Chemo said. "You'll have your duel."

We met him there, and, to my horror and disgust, Yugi was supposed to face…Kaiba. Chemo claimed he was a ghost.

"It's a fact," said Chemo. "Two witnesses saw him die. The only thing left of Kaiba is your memories. And a very cranky ghost looking for revenge."

"You look like you've seen a ghost," ghost-Kaiba taunted Yugi.

"That's enough," Yugi snapped.

"I am no longer of this world," said the ghost. "And it's all because of you." He smirked and glanced down at me. The look of horror and shock on my face made him laugh. "Hey, gorgeous," he said. "You want to meet me after the match? I bet you'd _love_ to be with a real champion and as a spirit, I can do all sorts of things I never could before."

I shook my head. "Shut up," I said. "You aren't Kaiba. He would never speak to me that way."

"Debatable," the ghost said, laughing. "I can do anything I want to, anyway. So I'll see you after the match."

"You're disgusting," I said.

"I could have had it all," said the ghost, turning back to Yugi. "But you not only beat me, Yugi, you ruined my life and destroyed my soul."

"You're nothing but an imposter," said Yugi. "So stop the lies, leave Olive alone, and let's start the duel."

"Fine with me," said the ghost. "This time you won't beat my cards."

"You might look like Kaiba," said Yugi, "but you can't imitate his cards."

"You mean, my cards?" asked the ghost.

The duel began and was so similar to the first duel that it made me sick. I turned to leave, but Chemo caught my arm.

"I think Mister Pegasus would want you here to watch this," he said.

"Let go of me," I said, yanking my arm away.

"Sweetheart," called the ghost. "Don't you want to watch your true love win?"

I flipped him off.

He shook his head. "Not very nice," he said.

I pushed Chemo away, but I didn't leave. The duel continued.

"Shut up!" Mokuba cried out partway through the duel. "Please, someone make him go away!"

I reached out to him, but Chemo pulled him away.

"You're an asshole," I snapped.

"Everyone thinks Kaiba is a bad guy," Mokuba said. "But he's a good guy! My big brother is my best friend. That isn't him! You've got to believe me."

"I wish I could be as sure as you, Mokuba," Yugi murmured.

As the duel continued, I walked away from Chemo and away into the woods.

"Come get me when the duel is over," I told Tea quietly.

She nodded.

They told me later that, out of nowhere, the blue eyes white dragon began to melt. After Yugi declared Kaiba to be alive, the fake Kaiba had morphed into a disgusting, evil looking mass of darkness. After Yugi won, something happened that no one could explain. The entire field exploded with light and a symbol began to glow on Yugi's forehead. When I heard the explosion, I'd head back, but I hadn't witnessed anything.

He had said, "Pegasus may have helped you escape the shadow realm once before, but it won't happen again! Never again!" And the ghost-Kaiba had disappeared. With light shining behind him from the attack, Yugi had appeared to look like a dark smokey shadow. His eyes glowed, said Tea. A mark on his forehead and on his millennium puzzle glowed and he called out, "PEGASUS! I sense you watching. Consider this a warning. Nothing you send against me will stop me and when we finally duel, believe me, victory will be mine. I will win back my grandfather's soul and you will pay for all the people you've hurt in the name of your _sick _little game."

By the time I was back, Chemo had disappeared with Mokuba. Yugi went to the other side of the arena and he took Kaiba's deck for safe keeping.

That was about the time I showed back up.

"Where's Mokuba?" I asked.

Tea looked at me, apologetically.

"That creep got away with him," Tristan said. "Olive, we're sorry. We should have paid more attention."

"Mokuba!" I screamed, running towards the direction of the castle. I went crashing through the trees. Branches and thorns cut into my skin, but I barely noticed. "Mokuba!" I screamed.

"Olive!" I heard them shouting behind me. "Come back."

I turned to keep running, but tripped and fell. I pulled myself to my knees, but instead of getting up, I put my forehead to the ground and I let out a loud scream that made my entire body shake. I screamed and screamed, egged on by the fact that I felt like somewhere, somehow, Pegasus was laughing at me.

"I failed him," I whispered, when I was too hoarse to scream anymore.

Someone touched my back and I looked up. Yugi was kneeling next to me, but he was the Yugi who dueled. The one I called Yami.

"I failed him," I repeated. "Kaiba called me and asked me to pick him up before Mokuba was kidnapped. I failed him then. And I failed him today. I should have kept him safe. I was the last person that heard from Kaiba. I let him…I let him and I let his brother down."

"You did what you could," Yami whispered to me.

The millennium puzzle glimmered and it was Yugi again.

"It's okay, Olive," said Yugi. "No one blames you. We'll find a way to save Mokuba."

I sat up and nodded. After a moment of silence, Yugi pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"No problem, Olive," he said. "You're my friend and I'm always here for you."

"Olive, you're all cut up," said Tea.

I stood up, shakily, and looked down at my arms and legs. Even my hands. There was a long, deep cut on my face that was starting to sting too.

"You know," I said, taking a deep breath to regain my cool, "I'm going to go set up camp. I'm going to take care of these cuts and sleep. You guys can meet me there later. I don't feel like watching anymore duels right now."

"Of course," said Yugi. "That's understandable. We'll meet you later."


	14. The Shadow Realm

Chapter Fourteen

Apparently, Joey dueled and beat Rex Raptor. I missed everything because I was busy trying to sleep through my nightmares and guilt. He won a new, very powerful card. It was night and there was full moon by the time everyone reached camp. I was just waking up and was starting to feel better, aside from the stinging of the cuts.

It was nice to have everyone there with me.

After telling ghost stories to try and ignore our hunger, Mai Valentine showed up and offered to share her food with us. She organized everyone and got a campfire going. Joey started to cook and she showed Tea where a makeshift shower was. While we stood guard outside the shower, Mai chatted to Tea, trying to be friendly.

I showered quickly after Tea and changed into jeans so I wouldn't bother the cuts. We met back around the campfire and ate slowly.

When Yugi tried to talk to Mai, she snapped. "Any duelist in my way is going down!" she declared. "Now, if no one minds," she stood up, "then I'm going for a walk."

"Man, she can really ruin a meal," Joey said, as Mai walked away.

When we were done eating, the bushes began rustling.

"Come on out, Mai!" Joey said.

The bushes began to rustle again and someone walked out.

Bakura.

"Bakura?" I asked, shocked. "Oh, my gosh! I tried so hard to find out if you were coming here. Why didn't you tell me?" I hugged him tightly.

"I told you I saw Bakura!" said Tea.

"Geeze, Bakura," said Joey. "You really gave us a scare. For a second, we thought we had something to worry about."

Bakura only smiled and we offered him what we had left of the food.

We all sat around the campfire and Joey looked through his deck. He showed me his new red eyes black dragon card and I congratulated him.

"What happened to your face, Olive?" asked Bakura, motioning to the cut.

I sighed. "It's a long story," I said. "But I ended up running through the forest and some of the branches cut me. You should see my legs."

"I'd love to," he said, teasingly. He grabbed my calf and knocked me backwards. I caught myself with my elbows and laughed.

"Joey," said Yugi suddenly. "You've been staring at that card for almost an hour. What gives?"

"I'll tell you," said Joey. "But you have to promise not to make fun of me. Sometimes, when I'm in a duel, I pretend it's me out there on the field swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out." He laughed. "Isn't that dumb?"

Bakura smiled. "Well, if you were, which card would you want to be, Joey?" he asked.

Joey picked the flame swordsman. Tristan said his favorite was the cyber commander. Tea looked through a deck and picked the magician of faith as the card she could identify with. And Yugi picked the dark magician.

Bakura looked at me. "What about you, Olive?" he asked.

I laughed. "I don't identify with any of them," I said. "I don't even know how to play. If we were talking about historical figures or mythology or something then maybe I could identify, but no duel monsters."

"So which card do you care about most, Bakura?" Yugi asked

Bakura held up a card. "This card is my favorite," he said.

"Isn't that the change of heart card?" asked Yugi.

I studied the picture. It was a girl who had a heart floating above her palms. Half of her was shadows and had a black, bat-like wing. The other half, in light, had an angel wing.

"Interesting," I said.

"That's sort of a weird looking picture," said Joey.

"I like it," I said, making a face at him. I wanted to stand up for Bakura, whose eyes had narrowed every so slightly.

"Oh, I forgot," said Joey. "Olive likes her life bipolar."

"If you want to see how it works," said Bakura, ignoring both of us, "we could have a duel right now. It wouldn't be for star chips. It'd just be for a little fun."

"Sure," said Joey. "I'm down with that."

"Why don't you guys put your favorite card into Yugi's deck?" Bakura suggested. "Then it will be like you're all dueling together."

"I'll sit this one out," I said, scooting back a little bit.

"Okay," said Bakura, with a sideways glance at me. "Don't be too sad if you miss out on the action, Olive."

"Don't worry," I said. "I won't."

"With this all star team of cards, we're going to be tough to beat," said Yugi.

"True," said Bakura. "But maybe I'll surprise you."

From a little ways back, I watched the way the fire threw shadows across Bakura's features. Something in his eyes seemed different.

"Are you sure you don't mind dueling alone?" asked Tea.

"Not at all," said Bakura.

"Don't worry," said Joey. "We'll go easy on you."

"Thanks," said Bakura. "Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all."

That was when I saw it. Something in Bakura's features and demeanor transformed. You could see the change in his eyes and in his smile. It was like when Yugi dueled, only this time, it was much, much darker. Bakura held his hands over his chest and the air seemed to shimmer. A millennium item appeared around his neck.

"No," Yugi said, suddenly looking fearful. After what had happened with the millennium eye, I felt my heart skip a beat too.

"Bakura," I said, quietly, moving closer to them.

"The magic of my millennium ring will take us to the shadow realm," said Bakura.

"Bakura!" I cried out. "Don't do this."

"Shut up, gorgeous," said Bakura, in a rough voice. He grabbed my wrist. The air shimmered and suddenly, everything around us was shadowing and dark.

"Man, I hate magic," Joey murmured.

"Why are you doing this, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

I tried to pull my wrist away, his grip was too strong.

"You have something I want, Yugi," he said. "And I aim to take it!"

I watched Tea, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey freeze and then collapse.

I screamed. "What happened?"

Four beams of light shot into Yugi's deck.

"Bakura," I said, still trying to pull away from him. "What did you do? What have you done?"

He stood up and grabbed my other wrist. He pulled me towards him until I was close enough for him to grab me firmly around the waist. We were so close. He pushed my hair out of my face and pushed our hips together, grinding against me, with a grin.

"Do you know how much he wants you?" Bakura asking, tauntingly. "This mind that I possess? He thinks about you all the time. I don't think you understand, but it's such a strong desire. It drives it into my mind. Makes me crazy. Drives me wild. It makes me want you too. At least he picked someone beautiful," he murmured.

I tried to get away from him, but he held me tightly. "You can't do this," I whimpered. I closed my eyes. "People don't get possessed," I said. "This isn't real, this isn't happening. There is no such thing as magic."

I felt his breath on my face as he leaned closer to me. He touched my face, running his thumb over the cut that hadn't healed yet. He pressed harder and, for a second, it felt like he was pulling the cut open again. I felt a little blood trickle down my cheek. And then I felt his tongue on my face. He licked the blood up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to pull away.

"Tasting you," he said. Then he threw his head back and laughed. He pushed me to the ground and shadows twisted my arms behind my back and over my legs so that I couldn't move. "But, I'll save you for later," he said. He walked over to the unconscious bodies of my friends and looked down at them. "Their souls have been locked away," he explained to me, "and now, after waiting for centuries, the millennium puzzle will be mine." He reached for it.

The puzzle began to glow and Yugi sat up. _Yami_ sat up.

"No!" Bakura cried. "It can't be!"

"If you want my millennium puzzle, you're going to have to duel me for it," Yami told him. "But if you lose, you have to free my friends' souls and let Olive go. She does not belong to you."

He glanced at me. "Oh, she will," he said, his eyes glittering darkly. "I can promise both of you that."

"Why didn't Olive's soul get locked away as well?" asked Yami.

Bakura circled me, surveying m thoughtfully and smiled. "She is an ancient soul," he said. "Can you not sense it? She has great power."

"And power is something you lust after," Yami spat.

He laughed. "It is not the only thing I lust after," he said.

"Bakura, why have you done this?" asked Yami. "Why have you taken us to the shadow realm?"

Bakura laughed. "Bakura," he said. "Bakura is no longer here."

"If you're not Bakura, than who are you?" asked Yami.

"I am a thief and a stealer of souls," said Bakura. "I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the millennium items. You do remember the legends, don't you? Whosoever wields all seven millennium items will possess power unimaginable. Before I'm done with you, your millennium puzzle will be mine."

"That's not going to happen," said Yami.

The first card Yami played was the cyber commander. Only when it appeared on the field, it was Tristan. Bakura quickly attacked and destroyed him. Bakura laughed.

"Looks like that card has been defeated," he said. "And your poor friend's soul was trapped within it." He turned his head toward me and smiled. "What do you think so far, my love?" he asked. "I know you love that I am powerful." I opened my mouth to respond, but he snapped his fingers and the shadow stuff covered my mouth like a gag.

"What did you do with Tristan?" asked Yami.

"Your friend is gone. He's on his way to the graveyard, as we call it in duel monsters," Bakura said, darkly. "So, which of your friends will you sacrifice next?"

Yugi played Joey's favorite card next. The flame swordsman. Joey attacked the first card and then sprung one of Bakura's traps. Both of them had to draw new hands.

"With a new hand comes new perspective," said Bakura, laughing to himself.

Yami played the dark magician, which turned out to be the small Yugi.

He turned and looked up at Yami.

"I knew it," I thought. "I knew there were two of them. How did I know that? What did Bakura mean that I was an ancient soul?"

The duel continued until Bakura played the change of heart card. Bakura's favorite card. He explained, spitefully, to Yugi that he was going to use it to make him kill his friends.

"I won't. I refuse," said Yugi.

"You won't have a choice in the matter," said Bakura. He glanced at me. "Comfortable, Olive? How do you like your front row seat? Maybe one day I'll show you how to experience the change of heart card first hand."

The change of heart card appeared and it was good Bakura.

"I want to help, but we must act quickly, Yugi," said good Bakura. He floated into the card that his evil counterpart had on the field. "I am controlling one of his cards, instead so you can attack me and win this."

"I can't," said Yugi. "It would send you to the graveyard."

"I don't care," said Bakura, with pain in his eyes that made me want to cry. "It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit. Do it!"

"Be quiet!" the evil Bakura snarled at him.

"I have a better idea," said Yami. His millennium puzzle began to glow and good Bakura switched places with evil Bakura. "Listen, Yugi," said Yami to the little Yugi-Dark Magician down on the field. "Use the power of the dark magician. Send him to the graveyard."

Evil Bakura looked at me and smiled a very evil smile before stumbling back and screaming as he was destroyed.

The shadow realm faded away. I was left kneeling on the ground, free to move again. Shakily, and nervously, I walked over to Bakura and hugged him. He hugged me back.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" asked Yugi.

"I am now, thanks to you," said Bakura, smiling.

Yugi smiled. "Good," he said. Then he asked, "Where did you get your millennium ring?"

"My father picked it up on one of his trips," said Bakura. "He said it's from ancient Egypt. I think that's where they're all from. He was shopping in a merchant bazaar when the millennium ring caught his eye. The man who sold the ring to my father said it had something to do with duel monsters, but that never made any sense to me since the card game is new and the ring is clearly ancient. When my father got back, he gave it to me. He said he felt I was destined to have it."

"Possession," I commented, dryly. "What a great destiny."

We heard Tristan, Tea, and Joey begin to wake up and looked over at them. Tea was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I just dreamt Bakura went totally mental," said Tristan.

"Same here!" said Joey. "Last time I snooze with dueling cards under my pillow."

"Sleep well, guys?" asked Bakura, with a big smile.

"Bakura!" Tristan and Joey yelled, jumping into each other's arms and then pushing each other away. Everyone laughed.

"I dreamt we were dressed at duel monsters," said Tea. "Except for Olive. She was tied up by…darkness. And there were two Yugi's."

Bakura and Yugi laughed nervously.

They were about to say something, when a scream cut through the night.


	15. Duel: Yugi vs Panic

Chapter Fifteen

We began to run in the direction of the scream.

"Sounded like Mai," Joey commented.

We ran through the trees until we came a clearing and an arena. Mai had just gotten off the platform.

"Mai!" Yugi yelled. "Are you okay?"

"You're too late," said Mai. "Panic is one of the arena's eliminators. If you don't get out of here, he's going to do to you what he did to me."

Joey started to go after the guy, Panic, as he shoved Mai away from him. Tristan and Bakura grabbed him and held him back.

"I can take him," Joey said.

"No, Joey," said Yugi. "Violence isn't the answer. I've dealt with a lot of bullies and there's only one way to beat them: stand up to them!"

The millennium puzzle glowed. It was something I was beginning to believe only I could see, but I saw Bakura watching it as well.

"But, Yugi…" Mai protested.

"Now," said Yami. "Let's see you try your intimidation tactics against me, Panic. I don't scare easy. Especially not when I'm standing up for my friends. So let's do it."

"Please, Yugi…" said Mai.

Yami shook his head. "It's time to duel," he said.

Watching Yami play was intriguing. I didn't know what to think of him. He always listened to his opponent brag and try to be intimidating. When his opponent was done talking, he always had a smile and a smart response.

Panic pushed a button and two claw-like mechanical arms went around Yami's ankles. He pushed another button, and fire began to shoot up to either side of Yami, barely missing him.

"What gives, Panic? Turn it off!" Joey protested.

"Panic used those on me too," Mai murmured.

"Stay strong, Yugi," said Bakura.

"Mai, come here," I said. I sat on the ground and had her sit in front of me so I could brush her hair. It seemed to be comforting to her. It was something my mom had always done for me.

When the fire went out, Panic pointed at Yami and said, "I can see the fear growing in your eyes, Yugi. You're beginning to panic."

"Get a life, you psycho!" Tea called.

"Are you finished blowing smoke?" Yami asked Panic. "It will take much more than pyrotechnics to make me lose my cool."

Panic laughed.

"Yugi's good," Mai told me, "but he's never faced an eliminator before. Once Panic gets inside his head…"

"He'll be okay, Mai," I said, quietly. "You'll be okay too."

Panic played a card that allowed him to cover his side of the field in darkness so that Yugi couldn't see anything he played. Looking at the shadows, I shuddered, remembering the shadow realm.

"Are you okay?" Bakura asked me.

I smiled. "Yea," I said. "I'm fine. I just never want to go to that shadow realm place again."

Bakura smiled too. "I know what you mean. Hopefully the spirit of the millennium ring is gone for good," he said, a little bit of worry crossing his face. "I don't know what I'd do if he came back."

"It'll be okay," I said.

"He'll come after you," said Bakura.

I nodded. "I know," I said. "But he's gone, so let's not worry about that."

As Panic went on and on about the darkness and shadows, Mai stood up and yelled, "Don't listen, Yugi! This is exactly how he threw me off my game!"

"Now you tell us?" asked Joey.

"Shut up, Joseph," Mai snapped. "I'm trying to help."

Looking worried, Yami played a card called Celtic Guardian in defense mode. It was almost immediately attacked by a monster of Panic's.

"That's cheap!" Joey complained. "How do you defend against what you can't see?"

Bakura nodded in agreement. "Yea," he said. "Or defeat a monster you can't find?"

"Anybody got a flash light?" asked Tristan, trying to joke.

Panic laughed. "Even your friends have lost hope for you," he taunted.

Yami played another monster in defense mode and Panic called another monster to the field. Hidden in the shadows, Panic continued to laugh and taunt.

"How is Yugi supposed to take this guy out, Mai?" asked Tea.

"If I had figured that out, we wouldn't be in this situation," Mai said, looking serious and also worried.

Yami was able to see his monsters with a fireball, before his second monster was also destroyed by the darkness. Yami's eyes narrowed. I could sense that he was both worried and determined.

"Keep struggling, Yugi," Panic taunted. "It's so much more fun when you resist."

"Tough talk from someone who makes all his moves in the safety of shadows," Yami responded.

Panic laughed and pushed the button that made the fire reappear again for a second.

"Yugi!" Tea cried.

"You okay, pal?" asked Joey.

"He'll be okay," I said, from where I sat watching on the ground. "Yami!" I called. "You are going to do fine. You're going to win this one."

He looked down at me and nodded firmly, with a smile.

"Yami?" asked Tea. "What kind of nickname is that?"

I shrugged. "It just came to me one day," I joked, even though it was true.

"You should think twice before insulting someone who can burn you to a crisp with the touch of a button," Panic snapped. "And your little friends should shut the hell up." Panic's eyes turned on me. "Little girls who don't even duel shouldn't talk about what they don't know."

I rolled my eyes and flipped me off.

Yami smiled and laughed a little.

"If you could see what I had in store for you, you wouldn't be laughing," said Panic, an angry edge in his voice.

"But that's exactly why I'm laughing. I can see right through you," said Yami.

"What?" Panic demanded, sounding slightly worried. "What are you talking about?"

"The dark is nothing to be afraid of," said Yami. "Just like you. Once a person is confident enough not to be afraid of the unknown, the dark loses the only weapon it ever had."

"You wish it was that simple…" Panic retorted.

"But it is that simple," Yami interrupted. "I have the card to prove it."

"What card?" asked Panic.

"Hey, Mai," said Tea. "Why would Yugi tell Panic his strategy?"

"It's Panic," said Mai, frowning. "The same thing happened to me. Once you begin to panic, you start making amateur mistakes."

"I don't know," said Bakura. "He doesn't look like he's panicking to me."

Panic laughed. "You almost had me there," he said. "Go ahead, let's see your powerful card."

"You don't need to prove anything to that slime, Yugi," said Tristan.

"Ready?" asked Yami. "Here it is. Swords of revealing light."

Panic's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.

"The magic of this card not only stops all enemy monsters from attacking for three full turns, but it bathes the entire field in a light so bright that even your shadow creatures will be exposed." Yami smiled. "But rather than play it now, I'm going to take a page from your book and let you worry about when and how I'll use it, just like you do with the monsters you hide in the dark. You're going down in five turns," said Yami. "Five turns and my monsters will finish you off." He played curse of dragon in defense mode and laid another card face down. "Has bullying lost its fun yet?"

"Hey, Mai," said Tea, sounding confused. "Why did Yugi leave that card out if he's not going to play it?"

Mai thought for a minute and then said, "I hate to say it, guys, but it's not a good sign. I was able to keep it together for about this long too. But after a while, Panic has a way of getting to you and making you slip up."

Joey shook his head. "Not Yugi," he said. "He knows what he's doing."

"I sure hope so," said Bakura, glancing at me.

I smiled. "I still know he's going to pull through it," I said. "Don't ask me how, I just know."

"Fighting Panic isn't about being good," said Mai. "I know that Yugi's good. Fighting Panic is about keeping a level head while you're lost in the dark or being attacked by fire. Yugi's going to need guts to win this duel, not skill."

"Guts, huh?" asked Tea. "Well, he's got heart."

"Yea, but he did just leave his best card out, fully vulnerable," said Bakura. "You don't make mistakes like that unless you're nervous."

"We'll see," I murmured.

Panic grimaced and then played a card that looked like a grim reaper. It was able to destroy all magic cards. It attacked the card Yami had laid face down. But it turned out, it was a trap card that destroyed the reaper of the cards. Yami then laid his swords of revealing light and another card face down.

"Damn," said Mai. "I knew Yugi was good, but I can't even keep up with him here on the sidelines."

"He's doing good, but it's not over yet," said Bakura.

"Always the critic," I commented, laughing and standing up next to him.

"Always the optimist," he responded.

"Getting nervous, Panic?" Yami asked. "Remember, in five turns, I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

"Have you forgotten who you're facing here?" Panic demanded, pushing the button for the fire again.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Yami. "You can't stall forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to make your move."

Panic laughed and played another monster that became extremely powerful due to the field power bonus. It attacked Yami's curse of dragon. I frowned, watching intently. The attack veered off and destroyed Panic's reaper of the cards instead. It was Yami's turn then and he played the swords of revealing light. As everything went bright, Bakura turned and covered his eyes, shielding me from the light as well. Then we peered out.

"Not only are all your monsters in the light," said Yami, "but they are frozen and unable to attack. But, you're stalling."

Panic drew and played a card that he combined with his castle of dark illusions. It created a defensive shield over Panic's monsters.

"Do you still think you can beat me in three turns?" asked Panic. "Just admit defeat now."

"I hate to say it," said Mai, "but Yugi really doesn't stand a chance. Panic is brutal and ruthless."

"Mai," said Bakura, "you've become so cynical about duel monsters and you don't understand Yugi at all. Really, there's much more to him than meets the eye."

"Yugi can win this, right Joey?" Tristan asked.

Joey sighed. "I wish I knew what to tell you," he said.

"You think you're surprising me and you'd like me to crack," said Yami, levelly, "but I saw your strategy the minute I saw what kind of man you were. You're a coward. Your whole strategy is nothing but hiding and being a coward."

Panic started shouting and hitting the fire button.

"Are you done?" asked Yami. "Or are you going to continue being a coward?"

Panic snarled.

"Truth huts, doesn't it, Panic?" asked Yami.

"Stop bothering him!" Tea said. "He's dangerous."

"Don't interfere," said Mai. "He's using his own tactics. He's just psyching him out."

"Two turns," said Yami. "Can you last two turns? Do you have the courage?"

"Do I have the courage?" Panic asked, incredulously. "I will wipe you out!"

"Yugi really shook Panic up," Mai commented. "Psychology is half the game."

"Now, it's my turn," said Yami. "I drew Gaia, the Fierce Knight." Then he flipped a magic card – a polymerization card. He combined his dragon and his knight to create one card more powerful than any of Panic's. "You're turn," said Yami. "You should know, you're finished as well."

Panic drew a card and played another monster in defense mode to guard his monsters.

Yami laughed. "Figures," he said. "Cowering again. You're just showing how weak you are."

"Next turn, your swords of revealing light will wear off and then it's over," said Panic.

"It'll be too late by then," said Yami. "You're already deep in my trap. The time for talk is over. That was your last turn. The end is now!" Yami played a card called catapult turtle. He used the catapult launch attack to raise his monsters power. Then he attacked the castle of dark illusions. He lost a lot of life points.

From the ground, we all watched, nervously.

"That's an awfully big loss," said Bakura.

The smoke cleared.

The castle's floatation device cracked and fell.

But, the castle survived.

"Now that your attack has failed," said Panic. "I will eliminate you once and for all. So much for five turns, Yugi."

"There is no next turn for you," said Yami. "This duel has already ended. Does it seem weird to you that a castle that lost its floatation ring is still floating? What if it's because the swords of revealing light have locked your castle in place? Then what happens when the swords disappear?"

Mai gasped, and leaned forward.

"After this turn, the swords will vanish and your castle will fall," said Yami. "This duel is over."

"No!" Panic cried. "No one defeats Panic!"

"My turn is over," said Yami.

The swords disappeared.

"Run, monsters!" Panic called. "Get out of the way."

"They can't run," said Yami. "You've trapped them in place with the chaos shield."

The castle slowly fell, crushing all of Panic's monsters. Panic's life points went down to zero.

"He won!" Tea cheered.

I smiled. "I told you so!" I said, smugly.

"I may not have defeated you, but I can still eliminate you!" Panic declared. He pushed the button for the fire one last time, breaking it. Every single fire cannon lit up and Yami was trapped. Right before the fire in front of him hit his face, I saw it. The symbol on his forehead lit up and the millennium puzzle began to glow.

"He's going to be burnt to a crisp!" Tea cried out, fearfully. "Yugi!"

"Jump out of the way!" Bakura called.

When the fire cleared, Panic gasped.

"You survived? How is this possible?" he demanded.

"My millennium puzzle protects me from your cowardly assault," Yami said. "But, nothing will protect you from oblivion!" He held out his arm and the last word seemed to vibrate through the air around us.

Panic screamed.

When we could see the field again, he was gone.

"You were incredible!" Tea exclaimed.

"Your millennium puzzle is more powerful than we thought," said Joey.

"It protected us from the flames too," said Bakura.

I was still sitting on the ground, shocked I hadn't felt the flames. I nodded at Yami. "I knew you were going to win," I told him.

"Yugi…" said Mai, quietly. "I don't know what to say."

"Here," said Yami. He held out her star chips. "These star chips are yours."

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept them," said Mai. "I fight my own battles."

"Mai…" said Tea, confused. "Yugi battled for you. He risked his life for you."

"No point in arguing," said Joey. "She's way too thick headed. If she'd rather be booted off the island, I'll take them," Joey said, taking the star chips from Yami. He laughed.

Mai practically growled. "You think me losing all my star chips is funny, Joey Wheeler?" she screamed.

Joey laughed again. "I thought you didn't want them, Mai," he teased. He held them above his head.

Mai stalked over to him and got up on tiptoes, but still couldn't reach them. "Give them back!" she said.

Joey put them in her hand. "Of course you can have them," he said. "They're yours."

"Really, Joey?" asked Mai.

"You can't always keep your defenses up, Mai," said Joey. "They'll only get between you and the people trying to be your friends. So can't you let your shield down? Just this one time?"

Yami smiled and nodded.

"I'm such a sensitive guy!" Joey cheered.

"Yea, when you aren't a pain," I teased.

We all laughed.

"Aw, my adoring fans!" said Joey.

"Hey, Yugi," said Mai, from behind us. "I'll repay you for what you did today. You're the one who won these, so as far as I'm concerned, I owe you. And when I finally face you in a duel, it will be an honorable one."

Yami smiled. "That's a duel I look forward to, Mai," he said.


	16. Kaiba's Return

Chapter Sixteen

We had set up camp. Tea was asleep in a tent, while Tristan and Joey were snoring on the ground. Bakura and I were sitting together, watching the water in silence when Yugi walked over to us. We all began talking.

"I'm surprised you still want to be friends," Bakura said, quietly, to me. "I'm not sure exactly what the spirit of the millennium ring did or said to you, but you look at me differently, Olive. You have fear in your eyes."

Yugi looked at me. "Are you okay, Olive?"

I nodded. "Yea, I'm fine," I said. "And of course I still want to be your friend, Bakura. I'm not going to pretend to understand this…magic stuff, but I'm here for you. I'm just confused." I sighed. "When we were in the shadow realm, the spirit of the millennium ring told…Yugi…that I was an ancient spirit. I'm just confused about what that meant."

"Am I seeing things, or is your millennium ring actually glowing?" Yugi suddenly asked.

I glanced at it. It was glowing in the same way I always saw Yugi's puzzle glow before a duel. One of the arrows on the millennium ring had begun to glow and was pointing in a certain direction.

"If it's not, we're both seeing things," said Bakura.

"I see it too," I said. I looked at Yugi. "I see your puzzle glow before every duel as well."

"That's kind of spooky, don't you think?" asked Yugi. "The way it's pointing like that."

"It's pointing at the castle," I whispered.

"It's almost like it's tugging towards it," Bakura said.

"Why would it be pointing there?" asked Yugi.

"I don't know," said Bakura. "But it did the same thing the day I met you, Yugi. I had just been transferred to your school. I was watching you guys play duel monsters, when suddenly, my ring started to glow and pointed right towards your millennium puzzle." He glanced at me. "And when I met Olive, it began to shake and grow warm."

"Wow, Bakura. I don't have any idea why it did that with Olive, but those pointers must somehow be able to sense other millennium items."

"Then why would it point to the castle?" asked Bakura.

"Because of Pegasus," I said. "He has the millennium eye."

"That's what took my grandpa's soul," said Yugi.

"It's all kind of scary, isn't it?" asked Bakura. "Pegasus grabbing souls with his and I'll never forget when mine too us all to the shadow realm."

Yugi nodded and I laughed. "I don't think any of us will forget that, Kura," I said.

"We ought to get some rest," said Bakura. He lay down.

I walked a few feet away from the two of them and got out my blanket. Yugi lay on his back and stared at the sky.

I rolled onto my side. "What are you thinking about, Yugi?" I asked.

"You called me Yami when I was dueling Panic," he said. "You've done that twice now. Why?"

"Remember when I fell asleep with your puzzle around my neck?" I asked.

Yugi nodded.

"When I dreamt, I saw…you, I guess," I said. "Only you were taller. You were more…confident. It was like when you duel. I called you Yami."

"Hmm," said Yugi thoughtfully. "It seems like the more I get involved with Pegasus and this tournament, the more everything seems to be connected to these millennium items. First there was Pegasus with his millennium eye and now Bakura's millennium ring. And of course, my puzzle."

I nodded. "It's all really confusing," I said. "I'm personally confused about how I can see both the items glow when no one else can. Or why I could walk into the shadow realm without a problem when you first dueled Pegasus"

"And when Bakura took us to the shadow realm, nothing happened to your soul," Yugi murmured. "Ever since I first solved this puzzle, playing duel monsters has never been the same. Now, every time I duel, I can feel a strong, courageous presence inside of me, Olive."

"Yami," I whispered.

"Whatever that spirit is, I pray it will help me save my grandpa," said Yugi. "I miss him. I miss him so much."

"You'll save him, Yugi," I said. "I really just…I feel that you will."

"How do you know things?" asked Yugi. "You knew I was going to beat Panic."

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I admitted. "It's just a gut feeling, I guess. Remember how I told you about how my family sees the future? I wonder if that is connected to this somehow."

Yugi studied my face and then said, "I don't think it's a coincidence that you came into our lives when you did, Olive. When I'm dueling and I see you, I feel like I've known you for my whole life. There is something…something about you. I can't explain."

I started to respond, but a loud noise in the air around us made us both jump to our feet.

"What is that?" asked Yugi.

All of the sudden, I felt pain split through my head. I felt like my skull was being ripped open. I screamed and held my head. I heard a voice in my mind. It was Pegasus. Somehow, I knew it was him. "Kaiba's coming," I heard him say, or think. "I can sense it. Can you, little Olive?"

Yugi rushed over to me, concerned, but the pain had only lasted a split second and it was over almost as soon as it began. I'd woken Bakura, who looked shocked. We watched a helicopter rise over the edge of the cliff in front of us.

The wind and the light woke up Tristan, Joey, and Tea.

"Hey!" Joey called. "Some of us are trying to sleep down here!"

The helicopter landed and we all stood and watched the door open.

"It's Kaiba," I said, before he stepped out.

I was right.

"What's he doing here?" asked Joey.

"I don't know," said Tristan, "but it looks like he means business."

Kaiba surveyed us quietly. He nodded at me.

Yugi walked up to him.

"I haven't seen you since our duel, Yugi," said Kaiba. His voice made my stomach begin to do flips.

Yugi nodded. "Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, reaching into his pocket. "Here," he said. "It's your deck." He held it out for Kaiba. "I've been keeping it safe for you. Think of it as a thank you for that duel you helped me win."

Kaiba took the deck of cards. "Thanks," he said. He looked at me. "Olive," he said. "We need to talk."

"Sure," I said, walking over to him.

He led me over to a quiet spot.

"What happened to your face?" he asked, looking at the gash that had nearly healed. It was, unfortunately, going to leave a little bit of a scar.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "I tried to save Mokuba, Kaiba," I said. "The first time, one of Pegasus's thugs caught us. The second time, they'd disappeared with him after that duel before I had even returned. I ran after them, through the woods. I got cut all over my legs and arms, but this cut was the worst."

"I don't blame you," he said. "In fact, I owe you so much for trying."

"I care about him too, Kaiba," I said. "Maybe not as much as you do, but I do care about him. I'm still at war with myself for letting Pegasus get away with this. I'm so sorry."

Kaiba smiled a little. "I don't blame you," he repeated. "Actually, I've missed you a lot. It's good to see you, but I have to get to the castle and take care of some business. My associates have turned on me and they're trying to take over the company."

I nodded. "I know," I said. "Mokuba and I overheard, but I couldn't go to the police because Pegasus has Mokuba and Yugi's grandfather. I didn't know how to get a hold of you."

"You did your best," he said. "We will have to talk later." He turned to everyone else and said, "You'll be compensated for your trouble."

"Actually, Kaiba, I was thinking that since we're all headed for the castle, you could stick with us," said Yugi. "Of course, you'd need some star chips."

"Don't be so naïve," said Kaiba.

I shook my head, shocked at his seriousness.

"This isn't just a game for me, Yugi. I'm going after Pegasus to save my brother, not so I can win some silly prize," said Kaiba.

"Kaiba," I whispered. "You're being rude."

He ignored me. "Have fun with your tournament," he sneered. "I'll see you around, Olive," he said to me.

Joey scowled. "That snobby little…" he began. He ran after Kaiba and stopped him, grabbing a hold of the front of his jacket. "Listen, tough guy, I understand you wanting to get your little brother back and all, but don't go thinking you're the only person here with a noble cause, understand? We've all got something worth fighting for, so if you want a piece of Pegasus, get in line, or deal with me."

"Nice grip," said Kaiba. "Let me show you mine." He grabbed Joey's wrist and threw him to the ground.

"Nice guy you dated, there," Tristan said to me.

"That was uncalled for!" said Bakura, as Yugi rushed over to Joey.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked him.

"Check his pulse," said Bakura.

"I'm okay," said Joey, picking himself up.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you and this little tournament delay me from finding Pegasus?" Kaiba demanded.

"Forget Pegasus," said Joey. "Now you got me to deal with."

"I can't tell if Joey's being really brave or really stupid," said Tea.

"Forget it," said Kaiba. "Why don't you go look for an opponent you can actually beat? Like an infant, or a monkey."

"What'd you say?" Joey demanded, angrily.

"That monkey thing gets him every time," Tristan commented.

I grabbed Kaiba's arm, "Listen," I began. "You don't have to be rude…"

I was cut off when he shook me off his arm and, accidentally, hit me across the face in the process. Shocked, I stumbled backwards, holding my cheek with both hands.

"Olive…" he began.

I turned and walked away before he got a chance to say anything more.


	17. Arena of Lost Souls: Joey vs Bones

Chapter Seventeen

It was morning by the time that Bakura and Yugi found me. They told me that Kaiba had beat Joey in a duel and called him a casualty. Then he'd left, wishing Yugi luck in his ventures.

I'd lost myself in the trees and sat by myself for a few minutes. I wanted to cry, but for some reason, that was something that was hard for me to do. I was never a cry-er. A yeller, a screamer of obscenities, a fighter, yes. But I didn't cry. Instead, I sat by myself trying to calm myself down and get rid of the dark feelings in my chest. Every so often my head began to hurt and I swore I could hear Pegasus saying that he could sense Kaiba or that he was hunting Kaiba. It made me even angrier. Why was this psychopath in my head all of the sudden? Was he doing this on purpose to bother me?

The next morning, I was woken up by Joey, whimpering, as he woke up from a nightmare. When he sat up, I was looking down at him.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Kaiba!" he yelled. "Everybody, wake up!" he called.

"What's wrong, Joey?" asked Tristan.

"Nothing," said Joey. "It's just a new day and we need to get going."

"Hey guys," said Tea, walking up to us. She had just put the tent away. I never slept in the tent with her because I was too claustrophobic in those things. I didn't feel like I could breath right.

"Hey, Tea," said Yugi. "Where's Mai?"

"She said she had to go," said Tea. "But she left you this note, Yugi."

"Dear Yugi," Yugi read out loud. He blushed when he noticed it was written in lipstick. "I owe you eight star chips. See you around. Mai." There was kiss mark on the bottom of the note. Yugi blushed more.

"Kiss those star chips goodbye," said Tristan.

"I don't know," said Yugi. "Maybe we really can trust Mai."

We began walking.

"I wonder how many duelists are still on the island," Bakura commented.

"They shipped a dozen home yesterday," said Tea.

While we talked and teased each other, I suddenly felt as if we were being watched. I began to look around slowly, as nonchalant as I could be. In the bushes up above us to the left, I saw the binoculars and looked straight at them. They almost instantly disappeared, and the bushes rustled as whoever it was left.

After walking for a few more hours, we began to hear the bushes rustle more often. Joey got nervous.

"Somebody's stalking us," he said. He walked away from us quickly.

"Where are you going?" asked Tristan.

"To stalk them," Joey called over his shoulder.

"I'll follow him," I offered. "I don't want him to get lost. Meet you guys back here later?"

Everyone agreed and I took off after Joey.

I finally caught up with Joey next to a waterfall.

"Maybe Tea was right," he said. "Maybe I was just being paranoid. I guess all I heard was the waterfall. Thanks for sticking with me, Reynolds."

"No problem," I said. "Let's get back to everyone else."

"Sure," said Joey.

We turned to walk away, but our path was blocked by a big, muscular duelist.

"Can I help you?" asked Joey.

He laughed.

I don't know what happened, but everything went black.

I don't know how much time passed, but I finally blinked my eyes open, in confusion, and looked around. We were in some sort of cave. There were tombstones and skeletons everywhere.

"Scary, ain't it, sweetheart?" someone asked me.

I sat up, slowly, and blinked, trying to let my eyes adjust to the dim light. I was lying on a ledge next to a blond guy with sunglasses. He had on a motorcycle jacket and a bandana tied around his head. His arms were huge and I could see the definition of his chest and abs through his tight t-shirt. He was grinning at me.

I looked around some more and realized Joey was fighting a duel against some creepy kid who looked skeletal. Two guys were sitting just below us. There was the guy who, I assumed, had brought me and Joey here, and another guy with red hair and rose colored sunglasses who spoke in a British accent.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We're in the arena of lost souls, gorgeous," the guy told me. "We're just getting ready to destroy your friend. What's your name, babe?"

I raised my eyebrows. "First of all, I'm not your babe," I said. "In fact, I'm not anyone's babe. And my name is Olive. Olive Reynolds."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Ooh," he said. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he asked. "Seto Kaiba's ex girlfriend, right?"

"How do you know that?" I asked.

He smiled. "I make it a point to know as much as I can about every strong duelist there is," he said. "My name's Bandit Keith." He flexed his arms and said, "I saw you staring. You like what you see?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please," I said. I slid to the edge of the ledge we were sitting on and went to jump off, but Bandit Keith caught me around the waist and pulled me back.

"I don't think so, sweetheart," he said. "You're here to watch your friend be humiliated. Then you can tag along with us."

"I don't think so," I said, scooting away from him.

He moved closer.

I frowned and watched the duel in silence. Joey's opponent, a guy called Bones played a magic card called the call of the haunted. Before that, Joey was doing okay. The magic card brought all of Bones' dead monsters back from the grave, with the power of immortality. My eyes widened, surprised.

"Surprised, Olive?" asked Bandit Keith. "I'm a champion, and from what I hear, you _love_ champions. When I beat that pretty boy Kaiba, after I destroy Pegasus, I bet you'll be after my nuts next." He laughed and the two other guys laughed with him.

"Sorry," I said. "But I don't date assholes. You are so far from my type."

He kept laughing. "I forgot," he said. "You dated Kaiba. Probably for his money, huh? You gonna get into that castle and hook up with Pegasus, princess?"

"That's disgusting," I said, making a face. "You're gross."

"Just the way pretty little girls like you like it," he said.

I rolled my eyes. I hated men like him. I pretended to be enthralled in the duel so Bandit Keith wouldn't talk to me. Really, I was just staring at Joey because I couldn't stand zombies or anything resembling zombies. Those were about the only thing in the world that really freaked me out.

"Ah!" Joey exclaimed. "If only Yugi were here!"

"Sorry to be Olive," I called out to him.

Suddenly we heard voices behind Joey.

"Joey? Olive?"

"Joey? Can you hear us? Joey!"

"Olive? Where are you?"

Out of the darkness walked Tristan, Tea, Bakura, and Yugi.

"Yugi!" Joey cheered.

"What you doing, Joey?" asked Yugi. "Why did you agree to a duel in a place like this?"

"I didn't have a choice," said Joey. "Those three guys ganged up on us and forced us down here. Olive's sitting over there."

I waved and tried to jump down again, but, again, Bandit Keith caught me.

"Block them," he said to the other two guys.

They went to stand in front of Joey.

"This duel is over," Tristan said.

"I don't think so, chum," said the British guy.

Tristan charged them, but the two of them ganged up on Tristan and he got hit in the stomach.

"Tristan!" Joey cried, getting ready to jump down and help him.

"Careful," said Bandit Keith, his arm still around my waist. "If you leave the arena you forfeit the duel and all your star chips."

"This duel is illegal, anyway!" Tea cried.

"Right, Tea," Bakura agreed.

"Wrong, Tea," Bandit Keith answered quickly. "When Joey threw down his star chips, he agreed to the duel."

"In that case, Joey," said Tristan, "you're going to have to beat these chumps. If you need a little motivation, here you go!" He threw Joey's wallet and he caught it. He opened it to look at the picture inside. "Win this, for Serenity."

Joey nodded. "I will," he said. He turned to Bandit Keith. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked.

"Don't you know? They call me Bandit Keith," said Bandit Keith.

"You're Bandit Keith?" asked Yugi.

"Where have I heard that name before?" asked Tea.

"My mom knows you," I said, quietly. "She's seen you duel."

"What?" he asked.

"My mom helped organize a tournament in New York once," I said. "I knew it was a game, I just didn't know it was for duel monsters."

"He's the intercontinental champion," said Yugi. "The guy that Kaiba told us about."

"Who's your mother?" he asked me.

"Samantha Reynolds," I said. "Tall, bleach blonde, tan skin, and expensive clothes. She's really good looking for a mom. She's really involved in stuff like that."

"Hey, I remember her," said Bandit Keith. "Said she was from California."

"She was," I said. "We live in Japan now."

"How come I didn't see you there, gorgeous?" he asked.

"I skipped out on the tournament to go to some museums and see a play instead," I said. "I didn't want to watch people play a card game. My mom made me meet her after and greet some of the more important people, but I never realized that til now. I met the kid who Pegasus helped beat you. We took him out to dinner. I even remember seeing Pegasus and Kaiba from far away. I thought you were all nerds and assholes."

Bakura was watching me very carefully. In the shadows, if I thought about it, I could almost picture the evil Bakura's face again.

"Thank the gods you didn't win," I added. "I don't think I could have gone to dinner with someone like you."

Bandit Keith scowled. "You'd rather go to dinner with a kid?" he demanded. "Rather than a real man?"

I glared at him. "I'd rather go to dinner with anyone and I've met a lot of creeps," I said. "Evil spirits, Pegasus, and all."

"He's only lost one duel," said Yugi. "That was to Pegasus himself."

"You've fought your last duel, Joey," Bones told him.

We continued to watch. When we thought Joey was about to lose, he turned it around with a magic card. Bones' life points went down to zero.

"See you around, loser," Bandit Keith said. He jumped down off the ledge. I jumped down after him and he turned around and kissed me on the cheek.

I pushed him away from me. "Gross," I said.

"See you at the castle, sweetheart," he said. "I'll let Pegasus know you want to take him out to dinner."

"Shut up," I said, scowling and rejoining my friends. "Good job, Joey," I told him, giving him a quick hug.

"Thanks," he said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you out more," I said.

"Hey, its fine, Reynolds. It was nice having a friendly face in this shit hole," he said. "Guys look, I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess."

"Next time, don't run off on your own," said Tristan. "As long as you won, I guess we can forgive you," Tristan teased.

We began to walk up the tunnel towards the daylight, when I suddenly realized. I knew we weren't getting out of there and I stopped. A few seconds later, the daylight began to disappear. Bandit Keith and his cronies were pushing a boulder in front of the exit. Tea, Tristan, and Joey began pushing at the rock.

"Are we really trapped in here?" asked Tea.

"There's got to be another way out," I said.


	18. A Challenge and an Illness

Chapter Eighteen

While everyone tried to push the rock away, I stood back and watched. I motioned to Bakura and he walked over to me.

"Your ring might be able to guide us," I whispered to him, looking up into his eyes. He was quite a bit taller than me. I'd never noticed how much taller until now. I motioned to the ring around his neck, but refrained from touching it.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, with a chuckle that made me uneasy. If I hadn't been looking at him, I would have thought I was talking to his evil alter ego. "You scared to touch it?" He took it off from around his neck. "Would you like to try it on?"

I took a stepped backwards too quickly and stumbled, shaking my head no.

He laughed again, his eyes watching me carefully.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"I'm just worried…" I said. "I'm worried about that…the spirit of the millennium ring."

"Yami banished him, remember?" asked Bakura, taking a step towards me.

I refrained from taking a step back.

"You don't have to try it on," Bakura said, finally, refastening it around his neck. The second it was back around his neck, one of the pointers began to glow and point.

"Where are you going?" asked Tea.

"My millennium ring is tugging me this way," said Bakura. "Yugi and I think that it can sense other millennium items. It's been pointing at the castle, zoning in on Pegasus's millennium eye. So it could lead us to the castle."

We walked, following Bakura until we came to several crossroads. Suddenly, Bakura began to run. "This way!" he said. "It's tugging me this way."

"Well, can it pull you slower?" asked Joey.

We followed him until he stopped in front of an arena. Two people greeted us. They talked, in rhyme, of how we had to battle them and then pick a door.

"You must duel as a team," they said.

"I've never heard of anyone dueling like that," said Joey.

"Me neither," said Yugi. "But we don't have much of a choice here."

I glanced at him. Bakura had too, but no one else seemed to notice the millennium puzzle glowing. Bakura met my eyes and smiled.

"I'd be honored if Joey would duel by my side," said Yugi.

Joey smiled. He looked flattered. "Alright, yous brothers paradox," said Joey. I cringed at his grammar. "Me and Yugi are gonna clean your clocks."

Bakura took my arm and led me over to the wall. We both sat down.

"Show me the deck that Yugi's grandfather put together for you," he said. "I want to look through it and see how strong your cards are. And then I want to give you some pointers."

"What for?" I asked.

"Because we don't know what's going to happen in the castle. If you end up needed to duel someone for whatever reason, I want you to be prepared," he said. "You may not care about this game, but my millennium item and Yugi's millennium item are somehow connected to this game and you are somehow connected to the millennium items. It's important that you are prepared."

"Fine," I agreed, nodding.

He began to look through my cards.

"Have you looked at these?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No," I said. "I meant to, but I never really got around to it. Why?"

"It's just interesting," said Bakura. "Your deck is filled with some rare cards. There are lots of priest and priestess cards, which are very powerful. These cards are ancient. I'm surprised Yugi's grandfather gave them to me."

"He told me the cards picked me," I said, quickly. "He just put the deck together."

"This is incredible," Bakura muttered. His eyes widened and he held up a card. "Do you know what this is?"

I leaned forward and read the named. "It's called the winged dragon of Ra," I said. "Ra was an ancient Egyptian God. The sun God, I believe."

"How do you know who Ra is?" asked Bakura.

"My mom is obsessed with ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. She has a whole study filled with books and she has always made me take classes on the subject. She never read me fairytales," I added. "She read me Greek and Egyptian myths."

"I see," said Bakura. "That's interesting. This card is really rare and really powerful," he said, looking at it. "I haven't seen one of these in a long, long time. If I were you, I wouldn't tell anyone that you have it."

I nodded. "Okay, I won't," I said.

He began to explain the rules while Joey and Yugi began their duel. I tuned the duel out, focusing completely on what Bakura was saying until Joey, Yugi, and their opponents seemed far away. Bakura watched me intently the entire time he was talking.

Yugi and Joey were almost done the duel and Bakura was in the middle of talking, when the headache came out of nowhere. It was worse than the first time. Caught off guard, I let out a scream before I could stop myself.

"I'll take care of her," Bakura said to the others, quietly. "Just keep dueling."

I curled into a ball, holding my head and whimpered.

Bakura made me lay in his lap. He rubbed my temples and ran his fingers through my hair, whispering some words. It sounded like mumbling or chanting, but I decided I was just in a daze from the pain.

"It hurts, Kura," I said. "It hurts."

"I know," he said. "But it's going to be okay. What do you see?"

"Kaiba is in the castle. Pegasus was speaking to him and clapping, but then…" I winced again and whispered. "Mokuba. The eye."

Bakura nodded and continued to talk in a low voice. He closed his eyes, as if he could see what I was talking about. He helped me up off the floor and took my hand. "Yugi and Joey won," he said, quietly. "Come on."

While they discussed something with the paradox brothers, or whoever they were, I continued to feel disconnected. It was like an out of body experience. I wasn't in my own head. I was in both Pegasus's head and Kaiba's head at the same time, seeing everything that they could both see.

Yugi flipped a coin to go through a door. He tricked the paradox brothers so that we could get through the doors and I followed them, led by Bakura.

"Kaiba…" I whispered to Bakura, trying to continue walking. He put his arm around me to help me walk. "Pegasus and that eye. And dueling. Yugi."

"What are you talking about?" asked Bakura.

I shook my head. "I can't explain," I said.

Bakura put a hand on my forehead. "Hey, guys, we gotta hurry and get her out of here. Olive needs to get into the castle. She has a fever. She's burning up," Bakura said.

"I'm fine," I heard myself say, but I sounded far away. From the look on everyone's faces, I must have just mumbled, rather than actually spoken.

We exited the tunnels and I squinted against the brightness of the light. My stomach began convulsing, and I flung myself away from Bakura so that I could throw up on the ground.

"Ew," Joey said.

"Olive, are you okay?" asked Tea. "You must be really sick!"

"I should have…" I tried to say. "Medicine. My backpack."

Bakura opened my backpack and gave me some nausea medicine. Then he helped me back up. He and Tristan helped me up the stairs to Pegasus's castle. Tea and Yugi were talking on the ground.

"Hey!" Joey called after them. "Do we have to carry you guys up? We need to get Olive into the castle. Pegasus will have people there to help her."

"No," I protested, trying to pull away from them, but I didn't have the strength.

"Come on," Yugi said to Tea and they followed us.

"Okay," Tea said, following. "Poor Olive."

We continued up the stairs.

"You'd think someone as rich as Pegasus would put in an elevator," Joey complained.

"Hey, guys," said Tristan, "you aren't going to believe who's blocking our way into the castle."

"It's Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed, surprised.

"What the hell is he doing here?" asked Joey.

I looked up at him. The vision around the edges of my eyes had gone blurry, but I could see Kaiba clearly for a minute.

"I can't let you pass, Yugi," said Kaiba.

"I've won ten star chips," said Yugi. "Stand aside. Not only did I earn the right to be here, but Olive is sick, can't you see that?"

"I'm sure Pegasus would allow Olive inside," Kaiba sneered. "You may have won enough star chips to qualify for the duelist kingdom playoffs, Yugi, but I can't allow you to face Pegasus. He's mine. You and I are going to have one final duel. You will lose and I will win."

"He's so smug up there," said Tea, disgustedly. "I can't believe him."

"Step aside, Kaiba!" said Yugi.

"Not until you agree to duel me," said Kaiba.

"I'm not dueling you," said Yugi, incredulously. "I don't have to."

"What's wrong? No longer confident in your so-called heart of the cards?" Kaiba taunted. "Or are you afraid you can't beat me without Exodia? That's it, isn't it, Yugi? You're just afraid you can't beat me a second time. Coward."

"Back off!" said Tea. "He doesn't have to prove anything to you. Olive needs help, Kaiba, can't you see that? Remember when you cared about her? Well she needs help. Now."

"You wanna duel, smart mouth? I'll take you. Come on," said Joey.

Kaiba laughed.

"Don't laugh!" said Joey. He got ready to charge Kaiba, but Tristan grabbed his arm. Bakura handed me over to Tea and grabbed his other arm.

"Joey, come on!" said Tristan.

"Don't forget, when you battled him before, he slaughtered you," said Bakura.

Another shot of pain went through my head and I whimpered. Tea stumbled a little, struggling to support my weight. I felt like I was watching everything from above, even though I would feel Tea holding me.

"Yugi, you said you won by tapping into the heart of the cards," said Kaiba. "For a long time, I didn't know what that meant, but Pegasus has shown me. He's given me a reason to put my heart in the cards. For the first time, I duel with passion in my heart."

"He has changed," Yugi said, quietly.

"Yugi, you can't accept this duel," said Bakura.

"You've already earned enough star chips to get into the castle," Tea added.

"I've changed," Kaiba said. "I deserve a re-match. Give me a chance now, Yugi. Let me play you for the right reasons."

"Yami," I said, suddenly, the second the puzzle began to glow.

"It happened again," Tea muttered under her breath. "Yugi suddenly seems different."

I looked at her and whispered, "Yami."

"Name the place," said Yami.

Kaiba didn't smile. "Our dueling field is waiting," he said. "Follow me."

"First," said Yugi, "call someone to come help Olive."

"No!" I screamed, shaking my head and pulling myself away from Tea. I stumbled to my feet and tried to turn and run down the stairs. Kaiba must have been fast or else I was really slow, but before Bakura or Yami or anyone else could stop me, Kaiba had grabbed me and picked me up off the ground.

"You're sick," he stated.

I stared at him. "Don't take me to Pegasus," I whispered, quickly, hoping he could somehow understand me. "Please. If I go in there alone, I might never be allowed to leave. Please." I could feel my body shaking with fear and with sickness as he began to walk up the stairs.

"Listen to me, Olive," said Kaiba. "You need medical attention. I hate seeing you like this. There is a hospital wing in the castle. You could get help."

I shook my head, which made it hurt more. "Pegasus…his fault. The eye. The ring. I mean, the eye. I can't…" I stopped and winced against the next wave of pain. "Kaiba," I whispered. "Please." I reached up, shakily, and touched his face. "Please."

For a second, he looked as if he would insist that I go into the castle. I couldn't explain my fear of entering alone, but it filled my entire body. It was so irrational, but it was the most I had ever remembered being afraid.

Finally, he sighed and said, "I have medicine with me. If you promise to take the medicine that I give you, I will let you stay here while we duel. But afterwards, when I get into the castle, I am going to take you to get the medical attention you need."


	19. Fever

Chapter Nineteen

After Kaiba gave me the medicine, I don't remember anything. Everything went dark and instead of dealing with my visions, or whatever they were, and reality, I was locked in my dreams. He must have given me sleeping pills. I think Kaiba carried me inside the castle. I heard Chemo say that Kaiba had won something. He asked if Kaiba was allowed to enter the castle. He also asked about medical attention for me. I remember Pegasus laughing.

I saw a lot of people in my dreams. Yami was there, speaking to me in a language I didn't know, but felt like I should understand. I saw Pegasus standing over me, smiling, at one point, and Kaiba sitting, worriedly beside me. I saw Bakura, both good and evil. I also saw a man dressed in a dark cloak, chanting. I couldn't see his face and I didn't recognize his voice. I also saw a woman dressed in white with dark skin and long, dark hair. She smiled at me and, speaking in the same language as Yami. I got the feeling she was telling me I'd be okay.

I saw pyramids and sand. I saw lots of symbols. I saw the millennium puzzle, the ring, and the eye, but I also saw other items that I have never seen before. I heard chanting and saw people who looked familiar dressed in ancient Egyptian looking clothing. Then I saw a carving on a wall. There were hieroglyphs and a pharaoh wearing the millennium puzzle around his neck. He was speaking to a woman with long wavy hair. The only color on the woman was her eyes and they were painted dark green.

I reached out to touch the picture of her, but it changed into a different picture. This time, she was talking to a man wearing the millennium ring. The man in the picture turned his head and looked at me, smiling.

I screamed and turned to run, but the ground turned to water and I fell in. The water filled my mouth and stung my eyes. I felt the water run down my throat and fill my lungs and my stomach. I struggled against the water, trying to swim back to the surface, and, suddenly, a bubble of air formed itself around me. I fell to the bottom of the bubble and coughed up all the sea water. Then I rolled onto my back and looked up.

Shapes moved outside of the bubble and then a person stepped through and was standing in the bubble with me. It was the dark skinned woman in white that I'd seen earlier. She was speaking, but I couldn't hear her.

"What?" I asked. I pulled at my ears frantically. "My ears!" I screamed. "What happened? Why can't I hear?"

Someone standing behind the woman waved a golden rod through her body and it disappeared. The man in the black robe stood before me next to the evil spirit of the millennium ring. They just watched me, although I didn't recognize the face of the man in the black robe. In fact, I could barely see him, now that I tried to make out his features. Watching them both, waiting, I suddenly began to feel light headed. I started breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath. I put my hands over my heart and stumbled to my knees. I couldn't breath. I grabbed onto the edge of the man's robe and looked up at him.

It was now a different colored robe and I was looking up at Kaiba.

"You betray me," he said. He said each word very slowly.

"No," I whispered. "No, never." I put my forehead to his shoes and I cried. "No, please," I said. My body was shaking with cold and with sorrow.

"You let him take in your soul," he whispered.

I shook my head. "No," I said. "No. I'm sorry." I looked up at him again, but he was already fading away.

I was alone in the bubble. I don't know how long I sat there, breathing and trying not to cry. It felt like hours. I didn't know where I was. The water faded from dark blue to black to light blue again. Creatures I didn't recognize and had never seen swam past me. I even saw mermaids peering at me, curiously, from the outside of the bubble.

After what felt like hours, the bubble popped. A wave rushed over me. I felt sand beneath me. Another wave hit me from behind and I fell on my stomach, face down in the sand. When I looked up, I was in the middle of the desert.

I stumbled to my feet. "Hello?" I yelled. "Hello?" The sun was hot. It was so hot. I threw my head back, when no one answered, and I screamed. At first no sound came out of my mouth, but once it did, I was suddenly sitting up, in a large bed with white sheets. My head was thrown back and I was screaming. The sheets were gripped tightly in my hands. I took a breath and I kept screaming. I shut my eyes and shook my head and screamed. I hit the bed with my fists and kicked.

People grabbed my ankles and my wrists. I was pushed back down to the bed. My ankles and wrists were held down. Someone was yelling at me to breathe and to take deep breaths. Someone else suggested getting my friends and someone said to inform Mister Pegasus that I was had woken up and was having some sort of attack. Someone said something about bringing a shot to force me to calm down or fall back asleep. The door was thrown open and someone came running in. They grabbed my face so I couldn't keep turning my face from side to side while screaming.

"Olive!" I heard someone say. "Olive, come on. You're okay! Olive!"

Still breathing heavily, I opened my eyes. Kaiba was looking down at me, his eyes full of concern. I tried to control my breathing.

"I'm sorry," I said, a lot more loudly than I meant to. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"What?" Kaiba asked. "Don't say that. You have nothing to be sorry for. You need to calm down or they're going to give you a shot."

I shook my head. "I can't go back to sleep, Kaiba," I whispered. "I can't. I can't break out of the dreams and I can't have them anymore. Please, Kaiba. Don't let them do that to me. I can't."

"You have to calm down," Kaiba repeated. "I won't let them give you a shot, but you have to calm down."

I nodded. "Okay," I said. "Okay. I'll calm down." I closed my eyes and I started taking slow, deep breaths to calm myself down. Finally, I felt my body relax. I opened my eyes again. "Make them let go of me," I whispered, about the men in the suits who were still holding me down.

Kaiba nodded at them. "She's okay," he said.

They let go and went to the computer to type things. Some left the room.

I took another deep breath and just stared at his face for a minute. His eyes were still filled with worry. His hair was a mess, like it hadn't been brushed yet and he didn't have a shirt on. "You aren't wearing a shirt," I said, quietly.

He smiled a little bit. "I was getting dressed," he said. "I heard you and I ran in here. You've screamed and talked a few times in your dreams, but I'm glad you're finally awake. Are you okay?"

"I had bad dreams," I said. "And, I think, a fever, maybe."

"I think your fever must have just broken," said Kaiba. "I've been checking on you for the last couple of days."

"Couple of days?" I asked. "How long have I been passed out?"

"Just two," said Kaiba. "You fell asleep right before the duel, when I gave you the medicine. After the duel, you were given a room down the hall from mine. They've been given you medicine for your fever and you've had an IV in your arm to give you fluids, but I think you ripped it out. Are you alright?"

"I just had…terrible nightmares," I said, shuddering. "Strange nightmares."

"Well, you're okay now," he said, wrapping his arms tenderly around me.

There was a sound from the doorway and we both looked up. Pegasus was standing there. "This is tender," he said, with a little smile. "How cute. I was told you'd just woken up, Olive. I was told you were screaming and even that you hit one of my men. I just came here to check on you myself and to let you know, Yugi Muto has just gained entrance to the castle." He looked at Kaiba and said, "We will duel tonight, Seto Kaiba." Then he looked at me again. "As for you, Olive, I would really love to…get in that head of yours and hear about some of those dreams. I'm very interested, but we will have to chat later. Your silly little friends will want to see you."

"Okay," I said, quietly.

He lifted the glass of wine he was holding to me. "I'll see you soon then, Miss Olive," he said, before turning and walking around.

When the door shut, Kaiba scowled and ordered the doctors out of the room. He helped me to my feet and out of the bed.

I realized I was only in my bra and underwear and I cried out, eyes wide and moved to cover myself. I almost fell over. I hadn't realized how weak my body had gotten til that moment. Kaiba caught me and he laughed.

"You must be really out of it," he commented. "I've never seen you be shy about being undressed in front of anyone."

"You've never seen me like this!" I argued. "I'm practically naked."

He smirked. "I don't mind," he said.

I glared at him.

"Come on," he said, laughing a little bit. "You need to take a bath or something and get dressed."

"Where are my things?" I asked, looking around.

He pointed to my bag. "Now, come on," he said.

We walked into the bathroom and I sat on the counter while he filled the large bath tub with warm water. He put some bath salts and some jasmine scented oil in it. Then he helped me off the counter and said, "I won't look, but get in the bath. I'm going to go find you something to eat."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said, quietly. "You're being so, so sweet."

He smiled a little and said, "All I've thought about for the last couple days, other than Mokuba, was you."

"Mokuba!" I said, suddenly. "Is he okay?"

Sadness filled his eyes and he pursed his lips for a minute. "No," he said. "He's not okay. Pegasus…he used…"

"The eye…" I suddenly interrupted, my eyes going wide. I suddenly remembered what I'd said to Bakura when we were still underground. "Kaiba is in the castle. Pegasus was speaking to him and clapping, but then…Mokuba. The eye." I looked at him. "Something is wrong with me, Kaiba. That's exactly what I told Bakura when my head started to hurt. I saw everything. Mokuba! Kaiba, oh my hell," I gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"Look," said Kaiba. "I don't know what's going on, but Pegasus must have done something with that eye." He sighed and then said, "I'm going to find something for you to eat. Get in the bath and get dressed. I have to duel Pegasus later tonight, Olive. I have to get in a zone. So let me help you, and then I have to prepare."

I nodded and stepped into the water. It was so full that it sloshed over the sides when I slid all the way in.

Kaiba glanced back at me for a second and I covered myself, quickly. He laughed and left the room. I sighed and I sunk beneath the surface of the water for a second. I soaked in the warm water for about thirty minutes before I washed my hair and got out. I wrapped a thick, white towel around my body and then slipped into a robe.

When I walked back into the bedroom, Kaiba was sitting on the couch, watching me with his usual smirk. He was fully dressed now. "Here," he said, holding out a fruit smoothie to me. "I brought you a smoothie."

I held out my hand. "Can I have it?" I asked.

"Come get it," said Kaiba, searching my face for reaction, as he always did.

I walked over to him, slowly. When I got close, he grabbed my hips and pulled me forward. I fell off balance and landed on top of him.

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"I'm not," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "Who knows what's going to happen at this duel? Just be close to me."

"Kaiba," I whispered, blushing. "I'm not wearing any clothes."

"I'm naked underneath my clothes too, Olive," he said. "You have a robe. It's not a big deal. Come here." He ran his fingers through my hair and I lay down on his chest.

"I'm getting your clothes all wet," I said, quietly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," I said.

We laid there for about twenty minutes before Kaiba said, "I need to go get ready, gorgeous. I'll see you down at the duel, but I really miss you and I've really got to go."

I nodded and sat up. "Okay," I whispered.

He stood up and stared at me for a second. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Olive, if things work out, we need to talk after all this is done."

"Kaiba," I said, quietly. "Don't say if, please. Things will work out. Things have to work out. I won't let anything happen to you or Mokuba. I'll find a way to fix things." I nodded. "If something happens…if Pegasus tries to pull one of his tricks or play one of his stupid games, I'm going to fix it. I'll do whatever I have to."

He smiled, but didn't say anything. He just leaned down and he kissed my lips softly.


	20. Duel: Kaiba vs Pegasus Part 1

**A/N :: Hope you all enjoy the long chapter! Part two is soon to come. Rate and review ^-^**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

A few hours later, when I was dressed in my newly cleaned jeans, a plain colored t-shirt, and the heels I'd brought along with my dress, just in case there was a fancy dinner or something, I walked downstairs. I waited awkwardly in the front in the area overlooking the dueling arena with Bandit Keith for Yugi, Joey, Mai, Tristan, Bakura, and Tea to enter. I felt cleaner than I had in weeks. My skin was clean and soft. I had makeup on for the first time in a long time. Bandit Keith did a double take and smirked when he saw me.

"So," he said. "You guys got out of that cave."

"Yup," I said. "I've been here for two days."

"How come your friends are just arriving then?" he asked.

"I came down with a fever," I explained. "I entered the castle with Seto Kaiba. Mister Pegasus was kind enough to get in contact with some doctors to look after me."

"Of course you entered the castle with Seto Kaiba," said Bandit Keith. "You're still hot for him, aren't you, sweetheart?"

I rolled my eyes, but didn't answer, which made him smirk again.

We heard the door open and heard voices. Bandit Keith and I listened to them run upstairs. When they finally reached where we were, they all let out a cry of surprise. I smiled and rushed forward to hug all of them. Even Mai gave me a hug.

"Olive, you're okay!" Yugi said.

I nodded. "Yup. Good as new," I answered.

"We thought they might have sent you home," said Tristan.

"Yea, you were pretty sick," Joey said.

"I know," I said. "I've been pretty much asleep for the past couple of days. They've been giving my fluids, but my fever broke this morning and now I feel fine."

"Good!" said Tea, giving me another hug. "It's great to have you back again. You can help us cheer."

Joey looked over my shoulder and said, "Wait. Isn't that Bandit Keith? Ah! I can't stand that guy."

"Huh?" Bandit Keith said, turning to look. "Well, what do you know?" he asked, smiling arrogantly. "If it isn't big tough Joey and his whole crew of dueling dummies."

"You slime bucket," said Joey. "I've been waiting to find you ever since you left us trapped in that cave." He raced forward and swung his fist at Bandit Keith, who just blocked it with his hand and moved out of the way of the next hit.

"Can't this little grudge of yours wait?" asked Bandit Keith.

"You wish, creep," said Joey.

Bandit Keith laughed. "Okay, suit yourself. But the real action is about to start," he said, motioning to the arena below us.

"The real action?" Joey asked.

Everyone moved over to the edge of the balcony area. I followed, my stomach sinking.

Kaiba was standing below us, waiting. He was completely serious and so unlike the person he'd been earlier this morning.

"Are you saying those two are going to duel?" asked Yugi.

"That is correct," said a man walking down the hall towards us. "Welcome, finalists. I am Croquet, chief tournament liaison. Congratulations on making it this far. Pegasus is quite taken with all your dueling talents. In fact, he's so impressed, he wanted to reward you with some entertainment – a special exhibition match. I think you'll all be quite…in awe of what you are about to see. This match should give you an idea of what's in store for all of you."

"So basically, it's meant to intimidate us, huh?" asked Mai.

"Why would Pegasus do something like that?" asked Croquet.

Mai narrowed her eyes to slits.

"Cuz he's a grade-A nutcase," said Joey.

Croquet laughed. "Enjoy the match," he said. He turned and left.

To lighten the tension in the room, I turned to Mai. "Has anyone ever told you that you look sexier than ever when you're glaring furious at men who are assholes?" I asked, in a fake-seductive voice.

"Olive!" Tea gasped.

"Don't feel too bad Tea," I said. I licked my lips, slowly. "I've had my eye on you too."

Bandit Keith laughed. "That's too funny," he said. "Go ahead, kiss her," he said, motioning me to Mai. "Two girls who are sexy as hell. Better yet, all three of you go at it."

"We're saving that for later," I said, winking at him.

Mai smiled. Tea blushed.

I walked over to the banister and gazed worriedly down at Kaiba.

"This should be interesting," Yugi said to me, joining me.

Kaiba was holding a necklace shaped like a duel monsters card around his neck. I wasn't sure if anyone else knew, but it was a locket with a picture of Mokuba. Mokuba had an identical one with Kaiba's picture in it. The doors at the other end of the room opened and I saw Pegasus. His gaze was fixed on Kaiba, a smile on his face.

"Where's my brother?" asked Kaiba.

"What?" asked Pegasus walking forward. "No hello? No how are you? I thought we were friends, Kaiba boy. Don't tell me that my kidnapping Mokuba and seizing control of your company has put a rift between us." He walked forward until he was standing right in front of Kaiba. He smiled. "It was nothing personal," he added, his voice growing darker. He rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's not like I hurt your kid brother. He's perfectly safe. In fact, you can have him back if you like. Just beat me in a duel, like we agreed and I'll hand him over. I mean, one little victory shouldn't be a problem for the duel monsters world champ." His hair fell slightly to one side and his millennium eye glowed for a second.

I could see that Yugi had noticed as well.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm _not_ hoping Kaiba loses this duel," said Joey, with a frown. "I still say he's a first class jerk for everything he put us through, but I can't help but feel for him, trying to get his kid brother back."

"Far as I'm concerned, anyone who stands up to Pegasus can't be all bad," Tristan added.

I didn't say anything, even though I knew everyone was wondering if I would.

"Come now, Kaiba," said Pegasus. "It's so rude to keep us in suspense, especially with an audience waiting in the wings." He looked up at us. "You're looking considerably better, Miss Reynolds," he added, with a nod.

I pursed my lips and avoided eye contact, which made Pegasus laugh softly.

Kaiba looked up at us too.

"Hey there, Kaiba," said Yugi.

"Yugi. How could you be in here, after I defeated you?" he asked. "I should have known you'd find a way." For a second he looked at me, but I didn't want to say or do anything to break his concentration.

"I hope you're ready, Kaiba. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time," said Pegasus.

Kaiba opened his briefcase and through a dueling disk at him. It was something he'd been in the process of creating for a while. He'd talked to me about it. "Good," said Kaiba. "Then you'll have no problem dueling with this."

Pegasus caught it and began to look it over.

"Well?" asked Kaiba.

"You want to duel me with your latest contraption? I don't even know how this silly device works. Do I spin it like a top or roll it like a ball?" he joked, rolling it away from him.

"Cut the theatrics," Kaiba snapped.

"Ooo," Pegasus taunted. "Kaiba means business. Okay then, how about we settle this like business men would? I'll agree to use your system if you agree to a request that I have."

Kaiba scowled. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothing that will change the game, of course," said Pegasus. "I just want someone else to operate your little device for me." His millennium eye glittered and I felt my stomach turn.

"I smell a rat," Bandit Keith commented.

Pegasus laughed and glanced up at us and then back at Kaiba. "I assure you, I'll still make all the strategic decisions, the game play won't change at all," he said.

"So why the request?" asked Kaiba, looking suspicious. "Why not fight your own battle for once in your life?"

Pegasus smiled smugly and clapped twice. "Show Kaiba the lad who will play as my pawn and he'll understand my request," he said.

The doors opened and I gasped at about the same time Kaiba did. Kaiba's eyes went wide. In dirty clothes, with a chain around one wrist, and big, blank, empty eyes, there was Mokuba. Or at least…what was left of him.

"Kaiba's brother," Yugi said, sounding surprised and horrified.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried. Mokuba looked at him blankly. "It's me."

"Something's not right," said Yugi.

"It's like he's been hypnotized," Tea added.

"Yea," I said, bitterly. "Or like his soul's been stolen from him."

Pegasus heard me and smiled. "I apologize if he doesn't seem quite like himself," he said. "I find that the captives I keep are far easier to manage after I've made an extraction of sorts."

Kaiba was shaking with anger. "You monster!" he shouted.

Pegasus just continued to smile pleasantly. He laughed softly and held up a card with a picture of Mokuba on it. "Now, now, Kaiba boy. Petty insults aren't the way to get your brother's soul back," he said, laughing.

I held my stomach, feeling suddenly sick.

Yugi and Bakura both looked shocked.

"His soul?" they both asked together.

Of everyone, they understood best when it came to what a millennium item could do.

"What does Pegasus mean?" asked Mai.

"He must have done to Mokuba what he did to Yugi's grandpa," said Tristan.

Pegasus laughed. "I told you your little brother was perfectly safe, and he is. But how long he remains that way is up to you," he said to Kaiba.

Kaiba took a shaky breath.

"Beat me in a duel, and I'll release him, as promise," said Pegasus. "But fail, and not only will his soul remain in bondage, but yours will join it."

"No," I whispered. I backed up and turned to leave, but two men were waiting for me.

"Now, Olive, where do you think you are going?" asked Pegasus, looking up at me, curiously. "I specifically told you when you were invited here that you were to have a front row seat when Kaiba was defeated, did I not? It was a generous promise that I don't aim to break." The two men escorted me back over to the banister, so I could look down at everything again. "If you can't stand still and watch, I can always have you brought down here. Would you like a chair? I have some nice ones I can have you locked into, if you'd like."

"I don't want to watch this," I whispered.

"Oh," said Pegasus, with a pout, "I know, gorgeous, but you will. Or I can take your soul when Kaiba loses as well."

"Don't!" said Kaiba, stepping forward. "Leave her out of this, Pegasus. Olive has nothing to do with any of this."

"She has much more to do with it than any of you realize, but alright," said Pegasus. "If you insist." With a final glance at me, he added, "I do hope the millennium eye doesn't make you too ill this time around." He turned back to Kaiba. "To save your brother's soul, you'll have to defeat me."

"Beat you?" asked Kaiba, looking a little shaken after his conversation with me. "I'll crush you!"

"So it's settled," said Pegasus. Mokuba took the dueling disk. "We'll use your new invention, but your brother will operate it for me."

"Wait, Pegasus," said Kaiba.

"What's the matter, Kaiba boy? This was your idea," said Pegasus. "Using your own system is sure to give you quite the advantage. What's the problem?"

Kaiba looked conflicted. "He's been through enough already," said Kaiba. "Fine then, Pegasus. You win. We won't use my new dueling system. We'll duel on your terms. Just keep my little brother out of this."

"So rather than duel your empty shell with the device you've invented, you'll give me home field advantage," said Pegasus. "Fine with me. Take him away," he ordered his men. They turned and left with Mokuba.

"You creep," said Kaiba.

"Watch yourself, Kaiba, you're in my world now," said Pegasus. He was still smiling, but he sounded serious. He snapped his fingers and the bridge they'd been standing on pulled apart to allow room for the arena to descend into place.

"This should be good," said Mai. "The two biggest legends in duel monsters going at it? This is what it's all about."

"Yea, but it should be voluntary," I murmured.

Every time I spoke, Pegasus laughed a little.

The two of them moved forward to the platform and took out their decks.

"Kaiba!" Yugi called. "You've got to believe in the heart of the cards. It's the only way to rescue Mokuba."

"Keep out of this," said Kaiba. "I'm fighting this duel my way."

"Just don't forget that it takes more than a strong monster and clever strategies to win this," said Yugi. "That millennium eye Pegasus has changes everything. He can do things no normal duelist can. You have to…"

"Yugi!" Joey interrupted. "Don't forget, Kaiba's the guy who took five of your stars."

"I know," said Yugi. "But I also know what it's like to be dueling for someone you care about and I couldn't live with myself if I held back on anything that might help Kaiba get his brother back."

"Yugi, you're a good duelist, but I don't need your help. It's my battle to fight now, and I will win," said Kaiba, setting down his deck.

"Poor fool," Pegasus scoffed softly. I could hear him in my head and in real life, even though he was talking quietly. "He needs all the help that he can get."

"We've known each other for a long time, and now we'll see if the duel monsters master is the creator or the champion," said Kaiba. "You have nowhere left to hide, Pegasus."

The life points appeared on the screen and both drew their hands.

"Look at you," said Pegasus. "The first move and already you're nervous. How cute. Olive's worried for you too." He laid a card face down. "Here," he said. "Defense mode. Feel better. Oh, and I'll play this card too, but I think I'll keep it face down for now, just to keep you guessing."

"It's my turn now," said Kaiba, studying his hand. "I'll lay a card facedown too. Also, I play rude Kaiser face up in attack mode." He attacked Pegasus's defense card and won.

"Oh no!" Pegasus cried, mockingly.

"I expected more from you, Pegasus," said Kaiba.

"I had no idea that you had such powerful cards at your disposal, Kaiba," Pegasus said, still mocking. "I don't think I have a beast in my _entire deck_ that could compare with _that_ creature." He drew a card. "Hold on!" he crowed, grinning. "I may have spoken too soon." He threw down a card called parrot dragon and attacked.

"Not so fast," said Kaiba. "I placed a card face down too, remember?"

"You what?" asked Pegasus, theatrically.

"I'm activating its magic right now," Kaiba flipped the card over. "This card entrances your monster and reduces its attack power by eight hundred points." Kaiba attacked again with his monster and won.

"Oh no," said Pegasus.

I saw Kaiba narrow his eyes and prayed that he was realizing something wasn't right here.

"I don't get it," said Tristan. "Pegasus talks big, but duels like a kid."

"It's almost like he's toying with him," said Mai.

"You clearly don't understand Pegasus at all," I said, more irritably than I meant to.

"Oh, and you do?" asked Mai.

"A little bit," I answered. "He's gotten into my head once or twice."

"Yea," said Joey. "Wait!" he turned to Yugi. "Didn't he pull this act when he dueled you?"

"Yup," said Yugi. "I guess he doesn't even take the world champion seriously. I just hope Kaiba catches on before it's too late."

"My turn, Pegasus," said Kaiba. While Kaiba drew another card, Pegasus studied his own, humming to himself as he did so. Kaiba considered his cards and then chose one and was about to play it.

"Stop right there," said Pegasus, before Kaiba could play the card. "I'd like to play a little guessing game with that card you're about to throw out on the field."

"A game?" asked Kaiba. "We're in the middle of a duel."

"What? I'm allowed to play a game," said Pegasus, rolling his eyes. "How else do you expect to have fun in life? Besides, my trap card says so. I played a card face down. Don't you remember? It's called prophecy and it gives me the right to guess whether the card you're about to play has an attack power higher or lower than two thousand. If I manage to guess correctly, Kaiba boy, then the card in question becomes mine."

"What?" Kaiba demanded. "You can't just…"

"And I think I'll prophesize that it is indeed over two thousand," Pegasus continued talking, his eye glowing all the while.

I shook my head, frustrated.

"But wait," said Pegasus. "Something else is coming to me…yes. I see blue. I see white. Could it be? Of course. I see the blue eyes white dragon!"

Kaiba scowled and gasped at the same time.

"Was I right?" asked Pegasus. "Tell me I was right. I was right, right? I so hope I was right…"

"Enough!" said Kaiba, setting down the card so it could be transported to Pegasus. "Here, take it."

Pegasus giggled like a little kid and picked up the card. "Now the most valuable card in your deck is mine," he said.

"That's impossible!" said Joey. "How did he know?"

"Pegasus must be up to his old tricks," said Yugi.

"You got that right," I muttered.

Yugi exchanged a glance with me and I knew we were both thinking about the millennium eye. At the same time, I somehow knew that Pegasus was reading my mind as well. He knew I knew about the millennium eye.

"Now I have two things you care about, Kaiba," said Pegasus. "Your dragon and your brother." He laughed. "Not to mention pretty little Olive has to watch your defeat."

"I told you to leave her out of this," Kaiba said.

"Careful," said Pegasus. "Care too much, and I might just bring her along the ride for the fun of it."

I frowned. "I don't think he can," I whispered, loud enough for Bakura and Yugi to hear. "I can see the millennium items working. And when Kura used his ring, it didn't affect me. I think I have some sort of partial immunity to their powers."

Pegasus smirked as I spoke. I knew he could hear everything I said and everything I even thought and I hated it.

"But, fine," said Pegasus, "If you want to exclude Olive, for now, then we'll see what else I can take, after your turn."

Kaiba switched his monster to defense mode and then Pegasus drew another card.

"Kaiba looks so anxious," I heard Pegasus in my head. It was as clear as if he was talking right next to me, but I knew no one else had heard it. "I wonder why. Perhaps I should look into the matter." His millennium eye began to glow and pain shot through my head. I flinched, but tried not to call attention to myself.

"I'll lay one card face down," said Pegasus, "and one monster face down in defense mode. And I'm afraid that's the best mood that I could come up with. Oh, and Croquet," he added, and the man walked forward from where he stood in the room behind Pegasus. "Take some very strong migraine medicine up there to little Olive. I'm afraid she has a splitting headache that's only going to get worse."

"My turn," said Kaiba. Kaiba lay down saggy the dark clown and a virus card to infect him with so that Pegasus's deck would be infected as well.

"I remember this move," said Joey. "He used this against Yugi in their duel. But this time, Pegasus is gonna catch the bug."

"Don't count on it," said Yugi and I at the same time.

"Pegasus knows that it's coming," I said.

"Since you just played your crush card, I think now would be an opportune time to activate this," said Pegasus. He flipped a card that caused the dark clown to have too many points to host the virus card.

Kaiba let out a slow breath. His teeth were clenched and his eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong, Kaiba? You look so sad," said Pegasus. "Keep your chin up. Don't let Olive see her big strong Kaiba so down in the dumps. I'm sure it was just a lucky move on my part. But you know what they say, Kaiba. It's better to be lucky than good." He laughed and played a monster card. "Talk about luck," he said. "My dark rabbit. Thanks to my dark energy spell, he's twice as strong." The rabbit attacked the clown and won.

Kaiba was down to one thousand life points.

"I've never seen Kaiba so shaken before," said Tea.

"This is bad," said Yugi. "The duel just started and Kaiba's already a thousand life points behind."

I was gripping the edge of the banister so hard my knuckles had turned white. I turned my head sideways, hiding my mouth, and muttered to Yugi, "He's going to lose."


	21. Duel: Kaiba vs Pegasus Part 2

Chapter Twenty-One

"How do you know that, Olive?" Yugi asked me.

"I don't know," I said, quietly. "I just somehow know it. Just like I knew you were going to beat Panic. Something is happening in my head, Yugi. I can hear people's thoughts sometimes. I can see the millennium items glow…The nightmares I had were incredible, you have no idea. And now…I just know."

"That millennium eye," said Yugi, frustrated. "It somehow lets Pegasus see all the cards in Kaiba's hand."

"Come on," said Mai, laughing a little. "Tell me you're not serious.

"Wow," said Joey. "I know you said that thing had magical powers, but I didn't know it could help him win duels too. How is anyone supposed to win against that kind of power? Man!"

"Still, I wouldn't count Kaiba out of this match just yet," he said, trying to avoid my look. "He may be trailing now, but he didn't get to be world champion without learning a few comeback tricks."

I watched Kaiba shake his head in frustration and then draw a card. He laid another card in defense mode. "Your turn, Pegasus," he said.

"As you wish, Kaiba boy," said Pegasus. He drew a card. "Tell me something, Kaiba, did you like watching cartoons in your youth?" Kaiba didn't answer. "Is that a no? Kaiba, it's no fun when you don't answer. You're even more cold hearted than I thought. For me, cartoons were the absolute best, and none was closer to my heart than the misadventures of one tricky hare. I am speaking, of course, of Funny Bunny," he said, and he began to speak of the cartoon. Kaiba stared at him in confusion and disbelief.

"Just make your move!" said Kaiba.

Pegasus laughed. "But, Kaiba, that is my move," he said.

"Your move's a cartoon?" asked Kaiba, raising his eyebrows.

"Not just a cartoon, you simpleton," said Pegasus. "An entire magical cartoon world! Welcome, Kaiba, to toon world!" said Pegasus, laying down a magic card. "Let the fun begin."

"Toon world? Looks more like a pop up book to me," said Tea.

"I've never heard of it," said Joey.

"Hey," said Tristan. "I think that Pegasus's rabbit just pulled a Houdini."

We all looked. The rabbit had disappeared.

"_That's_ the magic of toon world?" Kaiba demanded. "You can make your creatures disappear?"

"Come on, even cartoon bunnies can't vanish into thin air," said Pegasus. "My dark rabbit just went to his new home. As soon as I close that hard book cover, toon world can't be penetrated by anything. But first…" The dark rabbit sprung out of the book and attacked Kaiba's monster. Then it hopped back into the book, which closed.

"That's not fair!" said Tea.

"Coward!" said Kaiba. He laid a card face down.

It was Pegasus's turn and he played…the blue eyes white dragon. The dragon went into toon world. When it reappeared, it was a cartoon.

"Let's see the world champ get out of this," said Bandit Keith.

The toon dragon attacked Kaiba's other monster.

"Your underhanded dueling tactics have gone on long enough," said Kaiba, putting his cards in the discard pile. "I don't know how you're cheating, but somehow you can see my cards, so I'm abandoning my present hand. Perhaps if I can't see what I'm playing, then neither can you."

"Gutsy move," said Yugi.

"Tell me, how do you think Pegasus is cheating?" asked Tristan.

"The millennium eye," I said.

"I don't believe in magic, Olive," said Tristan.

"Neither did I," I responded.

"Maybe he's got some hidden cameras set up in here," Joey suggested.

"You really think so?" asked Tristan.

"I wouldn't put anything past him," said Joey. "But you know what? Now that Kaiba's not even looking at his cards, he needs to trust more in the heart of the cards if he wants any chance of rescuing his brother." He glanced at me. "Thank the gods Reynolds wasn't dragged into this."

"Thanks," I said, quietly.

Mai smiled at Joey.

"Here he goes," said Yugi, watching Kaiba.

"I've put all my faith in this next card, so now, let it be revealed!" said Kaiba, laying down a card without first looking at it.

We all gasped in surprise.

It was the blue eyes white dragon.

"Incredible," said Mai. "That's gotta be the luckiest draw I've ever seen."

"I think that draw was more about faith than luck," said Tristan.

"You said it," said Joey. "Kaiba listened to his heart and it paid off."

"Pegasus, your card predicting has failed you, and now your toon dragon will fail you as well," said Kaiba.

Pegasus continued to smile. He clapped. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun," he said. "A blue eyes attacking his toon counterpart? There's no ending to the zany antics that could ensue from this."

"Wrong," said Kaiba. "Your toon won't escape this!"

"Oh, no," said Pegasus, giggling.

"Something's not right here," said Mai.

"Yea," said Joey. "Pegasus."

Kaiba's blue eyes attacked. The cartoon dragon stretched out of the way and laughed.

"You should have watched more cartoons, Kaiba," Pegasus lectured. "The cuter creature never ever gets hit."

"Kaiba will get creamed if all of his opponents are nothing but toons," said Yugi.

"This isn't fair!" said Joey. "Just because Pegasus invented the game shouldn't mean he can use some super card that no one knows about."

"Yugi, have you ever heard of toon world?" asked Mai.

"Well, all I know about it was that it was never put into circulation," said Yugi. "It was too powerful. I guess Pegasus must have the only one."

"That sounds real fair," said Joey, sarcastically.

"How can anyone beat Pegasus when he has cards like that at his disposal?" asked Tea. She was annoyed.

"I'll play this," said Pegasus. "It's an addition to toon world. It's called the shine palace. The shine palace raises my toon dragon's attack by five hundred points. I think I've just written the final chapter of your defeat, Kaiba. My toon dragon is now stronger than your blue eyes."

The toon dragon attacked.

Kaiba flipped a magic card called negate attack so the toon dragon's attack was deflected.

"My turn now," said Kaiba. He played a card called shadow spell, which chained down Pegasus's toon. It shackled it down and lowered his attack points.

"He will pay for ruining my fun," I heard Pegasus think, as his eyes narrowed.

Kaiba then attacked with his blue eyes. The toon dragon was defeated.

"Alright!" said Yugi.

"He pulled it off," said Mai. "Impressive."

"Do you understand that nothing will stop me from rescuing my brother, Pegasus?" asked Kaiba. He closed his eyes, as if the game was painful for him. "Even destroying my own blue eyes."

"Aww, Kaiba boy," said Pegasus, in a mocking sympathetic tone. "Your treasure blue eyes white dragons mean so very much to you, don't they? Well, as creator of duel monsters, I'm truly touched by your devotion, but, when will you learn that the same devotion is not returned by the blue eyes? As you'll see, they are not so loyal," he said, playing a trap card. He played a dragon capture jar, which caught Kaiba's blue eyes. "This will make two dragons I've stolen from you, won't it?" asked Pegasus. "How you must hate me."

Kaiba laid a card in defense mode.

Pegasus placed a magic card face down and brought out the dragon piper in defense mode.

Kaiba flipped his face down card and attacked the dragon piper with the sword stalker.

Pegasus flipped a magic card called doppelganger. It copied Kaiba's crush card and infected his dragon piper.

"Call off your attack, Kaiba. It's a trap!" called Yugi.

"I'm afraid it's far worse than a trap," said Pegasus. "This is a virus and it incapacitates all of Kaiba's cards with more than fifteen hundred attack points, including the cards in his deck. That's what you get, Kaiba boy, when you stack your deck with monster cards that all have more than fifteen hundred offense points."

"I don't believe it!" Joey exclaimed. "Kaiba's getting done in by the same card that he tried to beat Yugi with."

"If this was anyone else, I would say karma's a bitch," I said, making Pegasus throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"This can't be it!" said Yugi.

"That crush card totally obliterated his deck," said Tea.

"All of my cards," muttered Kaiba. "Gone." He picked one up. "This is the only one left that the virus didn't affect, so it's the only card I can play." He played a magic card called monster reborn and brought back saggy the dark clown.

"It's your last move and you're going to spend it reviving a clown?" asked Pegasus. "Oh yes, that's right, Kaiba, he's the best you can do with my virus still about. What a shame, when you consider all that's on the line."

"Mokuba," said Kaiba, blankly. "I tried my very best." He looked at me and touched his hand to his lips and then to his chest. I repeated the gesture, wishing I could reach out and steal him away.

"Your best failed you," said Pegasus, triumphantly. A monster emerged from his toon world book and attacked.

"Forgive me, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "I am so sorry."

Kaiba's monster was destroyed.

"There are no more cards you can play," said Pegasus. "Therefore, you lose, Kaiba boy. And you've lost more than just this duel, haven't you, Kaiba? You've lost your only chance at rescuing your baby brother. You let him down. But don't worry, my dear friend," said Pegasus, reaching into his breast coat pocket and pulling out a blank card. My head began to buzz like someone was trying to drill through it. "I will spare you the agony of continuing on in this world without him."

"What is that?" asked Kaiba.

"It is the final fate of your soul, Seto Kaiba!" said Pegasus. Light exploded from his millennium eye, filling the room.

My head exploded in pain and I bit my tongue so hard I taste blood.

When the light cleared, there was a picture of Kaiba on the card. Kaiba's body had the same empty eyes that Mokuba's had. The same blank expression.

"While your soul is away, your body will be employed as my obedient servant," said Pegasus. He looked at his cards of Kaiba and Mokuba. "Ah, the brothers Kaiba," he said. "One in each hand. Too bad your souls have never been further apart. At least with Mokuba locked up you were both still living in the same dimension." He tucked his cards back into his pocket. "Take away that empty shell," he ordered. "Teach it to wash dishes or something."

"Okay, tell me I didn't just see what I think I saw," said Joey.

"I told you he would lose," I said to Yugi, sadly.

"He's gone too," said Yugi, tears forming in his eyes. "Just because he was trying to help his little brother out." He laid his head down and began to cry.

"Yugi," Tea murmured.

I patted his back.

"He was like us," said Yugi. "He just wanted to save someone he cared for." Yugi lifted his head, his features distorted with anger. "Why, Pegasus?" he demanded, loudly. "Who are you to toy with our friends and families? I won't let you get away with it."

Pegasus laughed. I heard him think, "Just try and stop me, little Yugi."

And the millennium puzzle burst into light.

"Yami," I murmured under my breath.

"Pegasus," said Yami. "It won't be long now til I put an end to your games."

"Yugi boy," said Pegasus, calmly, "don't forget that you still have to make it through the remaining rounds of this tournament to even win the privilege of challenging me."

"Rest assured, I'll be at the finals," Yami declared. "But the true privilege will be defeating you and undoing all the evil acts you've committed against my friends."

Pegasus only laughed once again. "I look forward to your finest efforts, Yugi boy," he said. "As well as wonderful performances from all our finalists. You truly are the best of the best."

I stepped backwards slowly and walked down the hall opposite where Pegasus's employees were before anyone noticed. I took off down the hallway, determined to meet Pegasus as he left the arena. I turned and sped down another hallway, and ran straight into him.

"Oh, little Olive," he purred, catching my shoulders. "My, aren't you looking beautiful today?" He looked me up and down. "Did you enjoy the pre-dinner show? Were you looking for me?"

I tried to take a step back from him, but he held my shoulders tightly.

"How can you do this?" I demanded. I started shaking, partially out of fear and partially out of sheer emotion. I was so filled with anger and hate and sadness. I tried to yank myself away from him again, but he just smiled and laughed even more.

"You are _too_ fun!" he exclaimed. "Anyway, I asked you a question," he said. "You look absolutely lovely. Did you dress up this beautiful just for me?"

I frowned. "Are you serious?" I asked.

"Come on," he pouted. "You don't want to hurt my feelings, do you, Olive?" he asked. "You've seen what my millennium eye can do."

"Yea, and I know that I could walk in and out of the shadow realm with your eye once," I snapped. "And I can see them all glow." I shook my head. "Those items may be powerful, Pegasus, but they can't split my soul from my body."

Pegasus smiled. "How interesting," he said, running the back of his hand along my face. "You are an interesting person, little Olive," he said. "Did you enjoy the duel?"

"I think you're a monster," I snapped. "And if I wasn't slightly afraid of disappearing forever, I would spit in your face."

He threw back his head and laughed.

"You disgusting!" I snapped, trying to pull away a third time.

He let me go and I fell to the floor and hit the back of my head on the wall. He crouched down to look me straight in the eye. His millennium eye glittered and I tried to back away from him, but the wall was behind me. He smiled when he realized I wasn't able to move away.

"You're a really, really brave little girl," he whispered, dangerously. "Or else a very, very foolish girl. Either way, you really surprise me. I'm so curious about who you are. Why don't these items affect you the way they affect others."

I turned my head away, but he grabbed my chin. He turned my face back towards him. "You really ought to get down to dinner," he said, "before I decide to keep you around permanently." He smiled. "Although, dinner or not, I can't make any promises."

He stood up and he offered me his hand. Hesitantly, I took it and he led me to the dining room.


	22. The Tower

Chapter Twenty-Two

I met my friends in the dining hall and slipped into a seat beside Joey and, unfortunately, also beside Bandit Keith. I wasn't hungry, but I took a few bites of food without really looking to see what it was. Above the door, were two paintings: one of an Egyptian man and one of a very beautiful woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. While I pushed my good around on my plate, Chemo congratulated Mai, Keith, Yugi, and Joey and explained to them about some cards and some rules of the finals.

"To make tomorrow's tournament interesting, your host has added a special ingredient to your soup," said Chemo.

We all looked down.

A small golden eye that looked like the millennium eye, floated to the top of Joey, Keith, Mai, and Yugi's soup. Tea cringed and made a face.

"Open up the eye and look inside it if you will," said Chemo. "Each of you has been randomly assigned a letter." A screen was lowered out of the ceiling with a chart on it telling everyone who they would be dueling the next day.

It was Joey versus Bandit Keith and Mai versus Yugi.

After dinner, Yugi and Joey went to bed, saying they needed their rest. I walked upstairs with everyone and watched Tea, Bakura, and Tristan disappear into their rooms. Looking around, I walked past my own room and slipped into the room that had been Kaiba's only that morning. His briefcase and his bag were still there. The sheets of the bed weren't even made yet. I stared at the room sadly and sighed. Then I picked up his things and moved them to my room.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, I slowly undressed until I was wearing nothing but my bra and underwear. I stared at myself, wishing I could have had another night with Kaiba. Finally, I sighed, and I pulled on one of his shirts. Lying down on the bed, I breathed in the scent of him and began to drift off to sleep.

I was drifting off, there was a knock on my door and I sat up. The knock came again. I slipped out from under the covers and answered the door.

It was Tristan and Bakura.

"Hey," said Bakura. "We were headed to Tea's room to talk to her. Would you come too?"

"Sure," I said. "Just let me change."

"You look fine," said Tristan. "Let's go."

I ignored him and pulled on a pair of shorts underneath Kaiba's shirt. I followed them down the hall.

They knocked on Tea's door and she answered fairly quickly.

"What's up, guys?" she asked.

"Trouble, Tea," said Tristan.

"Tristan thinks that Pegasus cheats in all his duels," said Bakura.

"Well he does!" said Tristan.

Tea tilted her head and looked at me.

I shrugged. "I'm just along for the ride," I said.

She opened the door wider to let us in.

"Nice shirt," she said.

"Thanks," I said, quietly. "It was Kaiba's."

The boys sat down on the couch in Tea's room. She sat at the edge of her bed and I laid down next her on my stomach.

"You really think he beat Kaiba this morning by cheating?" asked Tea.

"Yea," said Tristan. "I mean, Kaiba's one of the world's top duelists, but Pegasus beat him like he was an amateur."

"That's true," said Tea.

"It's the millennium eye," I said. "I'm telling you."  
Tristan ignored me. "No one can beat Kaiba that easily," he said. "At least not by playing fair. The way he was dueling, it was like he knew what cards were in Kaiba's hand the entire time. I'm telling you the truth. Pegasus is as bogus as a three dollar bill. He's a punk."

"You better not let him hear you talk about him that way," I said, picking at his fingernails. "It's one thing for him to threaten me because the millennium items don't affect me the way they do regular people, but he could really hurt you guys."

"You don't really believe all this magic stuff, do you, Olive?" asked Tristan. "I mean, that man is such a creep, he was threatening you in a duel with your ex."

"Hey, I'm not saying he isn't a creep," I said. "I'm just saying, you should be more careful."

"Even if you're right about Pegasus, what can we do, Tristan?" Tea asked.

"Plenty," said Tristan. "We'll find out how Pegasus cheated. There has to be some clue down at the dueling platform. We'll expose Pegasus for the fraud that he is."

"With all the guards everywhere, we'll need help from Yugi and Joey," said Bakura.

"No," said Tristan. "They need to rest for the tournament. Besides, a herd of elephants wouldn't wake up Joey. It's up to us. We have to do this all by ourselves."

"I'm with you," said Tea, determined.

"I guess I'm in too," said Bakura.

"How about you, Olive?" asked Tristan.

I shrugged. "I know it's the millennium eye," I said. "But like I told Tea, I'm along for the ride, so count me in. It sounds more fun than nightmares. Or than not sleeping and thinking about…other stuff all night long."

We snuck down the hallways, past all the guards and were finally at the dueling platform. I sat on the bridge, watching, while Tea looked from the balcony. Tristan checked one side of the platform while Bakura checked the other.

"Keep searching guys," said Tristan. "There has to be a hidden camera or something."

"Maybe Pegasus isn't a cheater," Tea suggested. "He could just be good at guessing cards, like a psychic or something."

"You sound almost as bad as Olive," Tristan said. "I once spoke to a psychic. The lady said I'd have a nice girlfriend within six months. It's been a year and not a single date. I don't believe in psychic powers."

"I do," I chipped in, cheerfully. I really did, but I only said it to bug Tristan.

"Of course you do, Olive," he said.

After a few more minutes, the clouds must have passed over the moon, because a beam of light came through a hole in the wall and shone on Tristan's back. Tea hurried down to the arena. Tristan stood on the dueling platform and pretended to hold a card up like he was dueling. The light shone right where the card would be.

Tristan used the rides of the stones that the walls were made out of to climb up to the hole and look through.

"What do you see?" asked Bakura.

"There's a tower across the courtyard," said Tristan. "The window faces in this exact direction. It'd be too easy for someone to hide in the tower with a telescope and spy on Kaiba's hand."

"Pegasus _could_ be hiding a receiver under his hair," Tea said.

"Good thinking, Sherlock," said Tristan. "So much for your magic theory, Olive. There's bound to be tons of proof hidden in that tower. Let's get over there right now."

"What about the guards?" asked Bakura.

"You'll be safe with me," Tristan insisted.

I hit Bakura playfully in the chest. "Yea, come on," I said. "Don't be such a baby. This is an adventure."

Tea rolled her eyes. "Between Olive and Tristan the guards don't stand a chance," she said, sarcastically.

We followed Tristan through the dark hallways through almost two hours before Bakura and Tea started complaining.

"It's going to be daytime before we get to the tower," said Tea. "This castle is like a maze."  
Tristan looked around and then said, "Hey, look what I found." He took a rope with a grappling hook off the wall. "This gives me an idea."

"Oh, no," I said, shaking my head. "No way. I am terrified of heights."

"Come on," said Tristan. "I'll go first. Bakura can go last. You and Tea will be safe in the middle."

I don't know how their convincing worked, but the next thing I knew, I was walked across the edge of a roof, repeating to myself not to look down. Tea slipped and almost screamed, but we caught her and covered her mouth. We continued around the edge until we were right below the window we'd seen. There was another ledge right above us. Reluctantly, I followed everyone up, scaling the wall yet again.

We got through the window and I had never been so grateful to be on firm ground.

"Your plans are horrible," Bakura told Tristan.

"I second that," I said.

"I got you up here safe and sound, didn't I?" he asked.

"Never again," I told him.

Everyone began to search the tower. I stood in the center of the room when I realized there was a painting on the wall.

"Kura," I said. "Look."

He stood and looked at the painting. "Who do you suppose this is?" he asked.

"Wow," said Tristan. "That's a mighty big painting."  
"Can you find a light switch?" asked Tea.

The lights flipped on.

"Did you turn on the lights?" Tea asked us, nervously.

"No," Bakura and I said.

"Then who did?" she asked.

"Maybe the light's voice activated," Tristan suggested.

"I've seen this portrait before," said Tea, thoughtfully. "It was in the dining hall, I think."

"She must be very important to Pegasus," said Bakura.

I nodded. "I remember this from the dining hall too, Tea," I said.

"I haven't seen her at all since we've been in the castle, though," Tea added. "Do you think maybe she's Pegasus's w…"

We heard footsteps on the stairs and Tea stopped talking. My heart began to race in anticipation of being caught. We all turned.

Pegasus stood at the top of the stairs. "Oh, Olive, I would have expected you to be a lot smarter. Isn't it past your bedtimes?" he asked.

"Pegasus," Tea muttered.

"How'd you find us?" asked Tristan.

"A little birdie told me," he said. "It saw you four climbing up the walls."

"Yea, well we're onto you Pegsy," said Tristan.

"Pegsy?" I interrupted. "Pegsy? Really? You couldn't come up with something better?"

"Shut up, Olive," said Tristan. "We know you've been cheating, Pegasus," he said. "The jig is up. Why don't you just admit it?"

"Hmm," said Pegasus thoughtfully. "You break into my private sanctuary through the window and accuse me of wrongdoing? That seems a little backwards. Absolutely no one is allowed in this room and I'm afraid you four have seen too much."

"What do you mean?" asked Tristan.

"Sorry, little Olive," said Pegasus, "but I guess we're going to see how well this millennium item works on you after all. You all should have stayed in your rooms. Instead, you shall now be disciplined." He pulled his hair aside, revealing the millennium eye.

The eye began to glow and the entire room turned shadowy.

"What's going on?" asked Tristan.

"What do you think about my magic theory now, Tristan?" I asked.

"The floor!" Bakura cried out.

Somehow it had turned to liquid and we were falling through it.

Pegasus smiled at me as I slipped under the surface.

I landed on my knees, hard, on the stone floor. Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were knocked out. I stood up and looked around, curiously. I could hear chanting. The walls of the hallway we were in were covered in ancient Egyptians hieroglyphs. I peered at them and recognized several figures. There was a pharaoh wearing the millennium puzzle who looked very similar to Yugi, a priest who looked like Kaiba, a woman in white, a man in a dark robe, a child with tattoos covering his back, and the priestess with the bright green eyes. I stared at her, wanting to touch her, but afraid to touch anything in such an unknown place.

I heard movement behind me and turned around to see Tristan, Bakura, and Tea stirring.

"Where are we?" asked Tristan.

"Do you hear chanting?" asked Tea.

"Let's go check it out," said Tristan.

"Why?" asked Bakura.

"Must you always criticize my plans?" Tristan asked him.

We walked down the hall and peered into a large room. On either side of the room were men wearing brown robes that covered their faces. They were chanting something over and over again.

"Who are these guys?" asked Tristan. "And what do you think they're up to?"

"I don't know," said Bakura. "But they're creeping me out."

One man lifted his arm and a tablet rose out of the ground.

"There's a blue eyes on that tablet," said Tristan.

"Look," I pointed, whispering. "There's that painting again." It was a portrait of the same blonde woman from the tower and the dining hall.

"Who could she be?" asked Tea.

The man standing across from the other guy raised his arm as well. Another large stone tablet rose out of the floor.

"Hey," said Tristan suddenly, as the tablets turned to face each other. "Those two look like they're dueling."

"You lose," said the man with the blue eyes tablet. The other man's tablet crumbled into tiny pieces and a light swirled around him. He screamed and was gone.

We all gasped.

I saw a glint where an eye should be and I knew who it was.

All of the men turned to look at us.

"Oh, no," said Tristan, as the man took off his hood, revealing that he was exactly who I'd suspected – Pegasus.

"Where did that other guy go?" Tristan demanded.

"The shadow realm," said Pegasus.

"Shadow realm?" asked Tea, her voice shaking with fear. "Not again."

I smiled at Pegasus and shook my head. I was amused, despite the situation.

"This is how the shadow games were played thousands of years ago," said Pegasus. "These duel rituals released the magic of the shadow realm. Every soul that I trap there increases the power of my millennium eye. You can't imagine the strength of my magic, but one power still eludes me – the ability to control life over death. For that magic, I must capture more souls like yours."

"What?" Tristan cried, stepping backwards. "He's going to send us all to the shadow realm."

"No way," said Tea.

"It's not my fault," said Pegasus. "I can't allow you to escape after you've snooped around my castle and learned my secrets. I hope the accommodations in the shadow realm are to your liking." He smiled. "I guess we'll see if your soul can be trapped after all, won't we Olive? I don't know what we'll do with you if I can't capture your soul, but I have a few fun ideas. And my dear Bakura, your capture will do more than strengthen my shadow powers. I will also gain control of your millennium ring." Pegasus laughed and his eye began to glow. I felt the familiar feeling of a headache start at the back of my head. "Oh, Olive, your soul is ancient indeed. I can feel the power you hold just by looking at you."

But then, the millennium ring began to glow and Bakura began to laugh. It wasn't his normal laugh. It was a much darker, more sinister laugh. My stomach turned and a shudder ran through my body.

Bakura looked up at Pegasus. "Change of plans," he said, smiling.

"Can this be?" asked Pegasus, clearly shocked. "I sense a dark soul within your ring."

The ring began to glow. "You may indeed sense me now," said Bakura. "But you won't remember any of this later." The room filled with light. "Erase their minds!" he shouted. I watched Tea and Tristan disappear and felt myself start to slip away too, when he caught my wrist. He pulled me out of the light, somehow, and we were in a small room with no doors that was filled with shadows. "I told you I'd come back to play, Olive," he whispered, grinning.


	23. Spirit of the Ring

Chapter Twenty-Three

I looked around for a window or a door, panic racing through my mind. Bakura watched me with a terrible smile. I shook my head and backed away from him, breathing hard. My heart was racing. The panic in my mind was incredible. I'd never felt anything like it. He watched me back up until my back hit the wall and then grinned and laughed.

"Did you really think you'd never see me again?" he asked.

"I thought you were banished or destroyed," I said.

"Do you really think that I could ever be destroyed?" he asked. "I'm too powerful. You and I both know it."

"Bakura," I whispered. "Bakura, don't let him overtake you like this."

"Bakura has no choice in the matter," he scoffed. "But I am curious…" he said, moving closer to where I stood pressed against the wall. He grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me, hard, against another wall. I cried out in pain as I hit the shadow stuff that the wall was made of. He was immediately in front of me. He grabbed me again and shoved me to the floor. Then he knelt down over me so that one of his knees was on either side of my waist. I tried to scramble backwards, away from him. He brought his knees closer together, very quickly and painfully. "Don't you like me?" he asked, taunting. "I thought perhaps we would be good friends. You're such good friends with Bakura." He laughed. "And, like I said," he leaned closer to me, placing a hand on either side of my head, "Bakura wants you so bad and, now, so do I. After our first meeting, I have grown intrigued by you."

"You have to let me go," I said.

He shook his head. "I don't have to do anything," he responded. He ran a thumb over the small scar that was left on my cheek and smirked. "I drank some of your blood," he said. "Your essence is within me now. I can sense the power you don't even know you have. I can sense _you_. For the rest of eternity, I will always know where you are."

I shook my head. "No," I whispered.

He grinned. "Yes," he said. He grabbed me by the wrists and held them down so that the shadow stuff could wrap them. He slid a knee between my thighs and spread them. I felt shadow stuff wrap around my ankles as well so that I lay spread eagled on my back. He smiled and sat back, watching me struggle against the bonds.

"Let me go!" I yelled.

"Careful," he said. "If I were you, I wouldn't want me to get sick of your voice." He held out his hand and a dagger appeared in it. My eyes widened as he leaned over me again. "This will only hurt a little," he said and he cut into my forearm.

I screamed and tried to kick or move away, but I couldn't.

He just laughed. "Did you get the fevers?" he asked, suddenly. "How about the headaches and the nightmares?"

"How do you know?" I tried to ask, but I could only whisper half the words. My arm felt like it was on fire. He leaned down over my arm and began to suck on the cut, drinking more of the blood. It stung and I cried out in pain, but I still couldn't move.

"I've joined your essence to mine, beautiful girl," he said, sitting up. My blood was on lips and chin. I shuddered. "I know when the headaches and the fevers start, but really, you should really thank me. I'm only unlocking your powers," he said. "I'm bringing your greatness back to the surface and I need more of a connection. I want to see the dreams. I need to know who, exactly, you are."

He leaned in close to my face kissed me along my jaw line. He continued to kiss me until he reached my lips. He lay down on me so our bodies were parallel to each other. I breathed out as his weight pressed down on my chest. I could feel the millennium ring pressed against me and I squirmed to move away from him and from the ring.

"I forgot," he said, raising himself back up. "You don't like my millennium ring. You're afraid of touching it, aren't you?"

He leaned down and put his teeth around the top button of the shirt I was wearing. He grinned and ripped it off.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He just laughed softly and repeated the same thing with the rest of the buttons. Then he opened my shirt so my skin was exposed. I was relieved that I had kept my bra on. He kissed my stomach and a tremor ran through my body. He continued to kiss me all the way up my body. When he reached my collarbone, he nipped me with his teeth. I let out a cry of surprise. He smiled and moved to my neck, kissing and biting and sucking.

Even though I was terrified and repulsed, my body reacted quite oppositely. I closed my eyes and moaned, raising my hips to meet his as he put his weight back on me. This time when the millennium ring touched me, it touched my skin. I gasped, surprised at how cold the metal felt. But the cold only lasted for a second before it grew hot and began to burn. The tips of the pointers pressed into my skin.

Before I could cry out at the hot metal or say anything about the pointers, he was kissing me again.

"Can you sense it?" he asked me. "Can you sense how our souls long to be together? Oh, yes, you are something special," he said. "You are someone filled with magic. Oh, I need to know you."

His lips came down hard on my own and his bit my lip. I tried to move my head away for a few seconds. He grabbed my face and held it still. The next time his mouth touched mine, I kissed him back, feeling confused and sickened with myself.


	24. Duel: Yugi vs Mai

Chapter Twenty-Four

I woke up in my own bed. My head felt fuzzy and there was a dull ache in the back of my mind. I felt like I was forgetting something, but the last thing I remembered was changing into Kaiba's shirt and falling asleep.

"I must have had a bad dream," I whispered. I got up and walked into the bathroom. I got in the shower, washing my body and my hair. I put soap onto a sponge and began to scrub at my skin. When I reached my right forearm, I winced. It stung. I looked down and studied it. It looked like I'd been intentionally cut. The harsh very new looking marks were just starting to scab over. The cut was in the shape of the eye symbol that was on all of the millennium items. I felt sick to my stomach, but, otherwise, didn't know how to react. Something must have happened in my sleep, because I hadn't left my room last night.

I pushed the feeling of fear out of my mind and got dressed. I dried my hair and straightened it so that, for once, it looked nice. Then I fished around Kaiba's bag and found another one of his shirts. I put it on and it fell just past the top of my thighs. I stepped into my running shoes.

I left my room and knocked on Tristan's door. His room was right across from mine.

He answered. He was dressed and ready to go, even though he still looked tired. "I was going to come talk to you guys last night," he said to me, "but I totally passed out."

"No big deal," I said. "I did too."

"Did you have nightmares?" Tristan asked me.

I shook my head. "I don't really remember, but I don't think so," I said. "Why?"

Tristan shrugged. "I could have sworn I heard someone screaming, but I just assumed you were having nightmares since you told us it might happen," he explained. "It must have just been a dream."

"Yea," I agreed. "I guess so."

We stopped at Joey's room and then Tea's. Before heading to Yugi's we picked up Bakura too. He stepped out of his room looking rested. He smiled at me.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Well, I guess," I said. "I woke up with a headache, but I don't remember any of my dreams, which is a plus. I was having terrible nightmares when I was sick."

"Well, it's good to hear you slept well then," said Bakura, cheerfully.

I nodded. "Yea," I said. "Thanks. How about you?"

"Oh, I slept fine," said Bakura. "I feel…revitalized."

We knocked on Yugi's door and then opened it.

"Hey!" said Joey.

"Hey, Yugi," said Tea.

"What's up Tea? How you doing guys?" asked Yugi. He had just put on the millennium puzzle, but still didn't have on his shoes or his jacket.

"Aren't you ready yet?" asked Tea. "You're gonna be late."

"And if you're late, you'll be disqualified," Joey added.

Yugi nodded and stepped into his shoes. He slipped his jacket on and I saw the millennium puzzle glow. I didn't look around to see if anyone else had noticed. I was growing accustomed to seeing things others couldn't.

"We'll have to cheer you from the balcony, guys," said Tristan as we neared the arena. "Only duelists are allowed on the arena floor."

"Good luck, you guys," I said, giving them both a hug.

"I'm so proud of you guys," Tea added. "Kick some butt!"

Yugi and Joey nodded and proceeded down the hallway. The rest of us turned and went up the stairs to the balcony. We waited.

Over the intercom, Croquet announced the beginning of the finals and then introduced Pegasus. Yugi glared at him from where he was waiting on the other side of the arena.

"Yugi, Joey, Mai, and Bandit Keith, I welcome all of you to the playoff arena," said Pegasus. "Here is where the last great duel monsters duel shall be waged to determine the championship of the duelist kingdom. Only one of you will emerge the winner, only one of you will win the three million dollar prize."

A look of determination crossed Joey's face. It was hard, with both Yugi and Joey battling for such important things. Yugi needed to get his grandfather's soul back. Joey's younger sister was losing her eyesight and needed money for the operation before it was too late.

"And, of course, the victor in the playoffs will also earn the right to challenge me in the final match," said Pegasus.

"Challenge you?" Tristan sneered from the balcony. Pegasus looked up at us. "Well, it's that special? And what does the playoff winner get for defeating you in the final duel?"

"The victor will be granted one request," said Pegasus. "They can ask for whatever his, or her, heart most desires, and if it is within my vast power to do so, their wish will be granted. The victor will also be declared the undisputed duelist kingdom champion, ranked number one in the world."

"The champion of the world," said Tristan, incredulously.

"And boys, that'll be me," said Mai.

"Surely any duelist that has come this far has realized that the title and not the money is the real prize," said Pegasus. "Is that not so?" Everyone stared at him.

"You're a regular comedian," said Bandit Keith.

"Listen, I need that money for my sister's operation!" said Joey.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure some of you have more riding on this tournament than others, hmm, Yugi?" Pegasus said. He laughed softly and I could see Yami fought to control his anger. "Alright, then, let's get this show on the road. Although only one of you may win, I wish you all good fortune. Now shuffle your decks and may the best duelist win." He sat down in his high backed chair.

"The first duel will now begin," announced Croquet. "Mai Valentine versus Yugi Muto. Before we begin, you must each show me the card required for your participation."

Yami and Mai both held up their cards.

"Go Yugi!" Tea cheered, as the duel began.

Joey pushed his way between all of us and leaned on the ledge of the balcony to watch. "Wipe her out, man," said Joey.

Yami drew his first hand. Mai watched him thoughtfully for a minute before drawing her own hand. The first card she played was harpy lady in attack mode.

"That's Mai's standard opening move," said Tristan.

"Watch out, Yugi," said Tea.

"Nothing to worry about, Tea," said Joey. "Yugi will be fine. He's seen Mai's harpy lady in action a billion times already."

"What do you think, Olive?" asked Bakura, with a sideways glance at me. "You always seem to be right about who's going to win."

I pursed my lips. "It's too soon to tell," I said.

Mai laid a second card face down and ended her turn.

Yami smiled. He played Gaia the fierce knight and attacked Mai's harpy lady.

Mai grinned.

As the knight's lance came down on the harpy lady, there was suddenly a reflective wall in between them. He was attacking a reflection of himself.

"Thanks, Yugi, I wanted you to attack," said Mai. "You set off my trap. Your knight ran straight into my mirror wall, which cuts his attack power in half. Your knight met an equal attack from its own reflection. Pretty slick, huh Yugi?" she smirked. "Guess it's my turn," she said. She laid down a magic card that gave her harpy lady armor and made it even stronger. The harpy lady attacked Gaia and the fierce knight fell.

"I'm surprised you fell for that trap, Yugi," said Mai. "Don't tell me you're losing your edge in a championship game. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were holding back."

Yami ignored her and drew a card. He laid one card face down and then attacked with his summoned skull.

The mirror wall rose up once again.

"You're really off your game today, Yugi," said Mai. "You made the same mistake twice."

"It's a permanent trap?" Yami asked.

"A couple of turns too late, but you're catching on," said Mai. "You'd better hurry and get in gear, Yugi."

"Mai's right," said Bakura. "Yugi's game seems off."

"His strategy is whack, man. He can't just attack," said Joey, sounding confused. "Why isn't he thinking through his moves like he's always telling me?"

"I expected a real battle from you and all I get is this lame frontal assault," said Mai. "The only reason I duel, Yugi, aside from the island trips, the clothes, the cars, the prize money, is the thrill of beating a _worthy_ opponent."

"Are you saying I'm not worthy?" Yami demanded, although I swore I could hear Yugi's voice more than I could the spirit inside the puzzle.

"Not today, kiddo," said Mai. "Your body may be in this arena, but your head and your heart definitely aren't. It's really a let down."

"You're questioning my fighting spirit as well?" asked Yami.

"Bingo," said Mai. "It seems like you're still shell shocked about losing your last duel with Kaiba." A fresh wave of sadness racked my body when she said his name. "Well, get over it," Mai continued. "I'm your opponent now and I want to beat someone battling at his best. I don't want to duel someone who acts like he's afraid of his own shadow. You've gotta shape up and get your act in gear or I'm going to knock you out of this tournament."

"You don't understand," Yami protested. "It's not about Kaiba."

I squeezed my eyes shut this time I heard the name. It was too hard to think about him.

"Oh, Yugi," I heard Pegasus think, "for some reason you're afraid to tap into the powers of your millennium puzzle."

"Whatever's going on, this is boring," said Mai.

"I can't let you win, Mai," said Yami.

"Let me?" asked Mai, laughing a little. "Hun, the way you've been playing today, I don't think there's a single thing you can do to stop me. I promised you an honorable duel. I thought you'd give me the same. Are you ready to duel for real now? Are you going to put your heart in it, or are you going to punk out?"

"I wish she'd shut up," said Tristan. "She's even more annoying when she's winning."

"Don't let her psyche you out, Yugi," said Joey.

"I don't think Mai's trying to psyche him out," said Tea. "I think she's trying to help him."

"I agree, Tea," I said. "Mai wants to face him at his best. She's been dreaming of this match."

A few more turns passed. Yami seemed as if he were trying to focus, but couldn't.

"Watch it, Yugi," said Joey. "She's gonna try and multiply her harpy lady."

"He's distracted," I said, watching her critically. "He's not focused."

Pegasus caught my eye and his thoughts flooded my head. "Poor Yugi seems to have a lot on his mind," he thought. "I sense much conflict. He seems to be struggling against the power of his millennium item. That will be his undoing."

"What's the matter, Yugi?" asked Joey.

"Mai is," said Tea. "She's gone and put aside all her silly card tricks and played this duel flawlessly."

"You can do this," I called over the ledge as well.

Yami or Yugi or whoever he was right now glanced at me and new thoughts flooded my head. "I meant no harm," said the voice. "I didn't mean to go against you. I only wanted to help and I vow never to go against your wishes again."

"How can I believe you?" Yugi's voice responded, still within my mind.

"Your grandfather urged you to trust in the power of the millennium puzzle, remember?"

"Maybe you're right…" Yugi thought.

"He's going to win," I said, quietly.

"How do you know?" asked Bakura. "How do you figure this out?"

I shrugged and looked back at him. He was standing behind me and a little to the right. "I'm just magic, I guess," I teased.

He laughed, but there was still something in those chocolate brown eyes of his that made me uneasy.

"Thanks for reminding me that a true duelist faces his problems, Mai," said Yami, his voice strong now. "I was holding back, you were right. But I won't be any longer."

Mai smiled a genuinely happy smile. "A little late to the party, Yugi," she commented.

Yami played a magic card called brain control. He used it to control a dragon that Mai had set on the field a few turns back. He put the dragon on the back of the catapult turtle and used it to destroy Mai's mirror wall. But, not only did it destroy the mirror wall, but half of the dragon's attack points were deducted from Mai's life points.

"The tide of this battle is turning, Mai," said Yugi.

My head began to hurt as thoughts from both Pegasus and Yugi invaded my mind. I shook my head. I took a deep breath and forced myself to ignore the voices. I could learn to deal with this. I had to.

Mai drew a card and surveyed the field carefully, trying to choose the best move. She used a magic card to triple her harpy's attack force, rather than attack Yami. Now there were three harpy ladies.

"That's too bad, Mai. You really should have attacked me," said Yami.

"Well, that's your opinion," said Mai.

"No, it's fact," said Yami. "If you had called an attack, you would have won."

"But your trap card!" Mai exclaimed.

"It's not a trap, Mai," said Yami, flipping the card into play. "It's a monster recovery card." Mai gasped. "You fell for my bluff," said Yami. He activated the card, put all his monsters back in his deck and drew five new cards.

"Yugi!" Tea yelled. "Don't let up! Keep fighting!"

"Tea!" Joey yelled. "Don't scream so loud right next to my ear!"

Yugi played the mystical elf card in defense mode.

Tea let out a sigh of relief.

"He may have gotten through this turn, but he's not out of the woods yet," said Bakura. "It won't take Mai long to destroy that mystical elf."

I looked at him and he met my gaze. Bakura smiled, just a little, and I smiled back. "He's going to win," I told him.

"Alright," said Bakura. "Whatever you say." He paused and then added, "Olive, are we…still friends? You've been acting strange around me for a while now."

"Of course we're still friends, Bakura," I said. "When the spirit of your ring took us into the shadow realm a few weeks ago, I guess I just got scared." I hugged him. "The spirit of your ring is gone, I just didn't believe it at first. Of course we're friends. We're best friends."

Mai played a monster reborn card to bring back her harpy's pet dragon card. All of the harpy ladies attacked the mystical elf.

Yami grimaced.

"Your time's run out," said Mai. "Next turn I win. I go onto the finals."

Yami drew a card hesitantly, the worry etched on his face.

"We both know whatever you draw won't help," said Mai.

Yami threw the card into play. "Swords of revealing light!" he declared.

"What?" Mai gasped. "How can anybody be that lucky?"

"Alright!" said Joey. "That means Mai can't attack for three turns."

"Still doubt me?" I asked Bakura.

"We'll see," he said.

Yami played a kuriboh, a very weak card.

Mai laughed hysterically. "What?" she asked. "You don't think this is funny, Yugi?"

"It's not," said Yami, simply. "Laugh all you want, but I wouldn't mock the kuriboh when it's an important step towards my winning this duel."

"That hair ball couldn't be an important step towards anything, except maybe choking a cat," said Mai. "Anyway, I can't attack with your swords are in play, so I'll draw and that will end my turn. Soon you're gonna be history."

Yami drew a card and then played monster reborn to bring back Gaia the fierce knight.

Mai rolled her eyes. "He's hardly a threat to my harpies and their dragon," she said. "But I guess he's an improvement over kuriboh." She drew a card and ended her turn. "Two turns to go," she commented, in a sing-songy voice.

"That'll be enough," said Yami.

"Very daring, Yugi," I heard Pegasus think before I shook his voice out of my head again.

Mai drew another card. "My turn is over," she said, as the swords of revealing light faded. "So are the effects of your swords. Didn't get much help out of your three free turns, did you, Yugi?"

Yami took a deep breath and reached for his deck. All the rest of us held our breath and watched.

"I can't do this," I heard Yami's voice in my head, as clear as day. It was almost shocking no one else could. "There is too much at stake with the draw of this card. Who am I to gamble with the lives of Yugi's family and friends? I don't think I can do this."

"We can," I heard Yugi say. "And with my friends at my side, like they have been from the beginning, we have all the support we need."

Pegasus gasped. "Such power…" I heard him think. "I've never felt such strength."

Yami drew the card.

"Well, Mai," said Yami. "You've put up a good fight," he smiled. "But now the duel ends, starting with this card, black luster ritual."

"What?" Mai exclaimed.

Yami put the magic card into play. Both his monsters were sacrificed. Their energies were combined with the forces of light and dark and suddenly, a soldier appeared on the field. The black luster soldier.

"Is that really the legendary black luster soldier?" Mai asked, in shock.

The black luster soldier attacked harpy's pet dragon and Mai's life points lowered to seven hundred and fifty.

"The duel is over," I heard Pegasus's think. "Mai's spirit is broken. She's lost the will to fight on."

Mai leaned over the platform with a cry of sadness. "One turn away," she muttered. She straightened up finally and put her hand over her deck.

"So does this mean, you surrender?" asked Yami.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Mai surrendered," Bakura explained. "When a player places their hand over the deck like that, it means they surrender."

"Poor Mai," Tea said.

"I'd rather not see my harpy ladies destroyed in the next turn," said Mai. "The duel is yours, Yugi." She turned and began to walk away.

"Wait, Mai," said Yami. "There's something I want to say to you." She stopped. "Thank you," he said. "You said a duelist can learn more from defeat than victory, and you were correct. But you, Mai…you taught me a lot today. I had to confront my own fears and my own weaknesses. Otherwise, I never could have defeated you."

"It's awfully nice of you to say that, Yugi," said Mai, without turning back to look at him. "But it seems to me I also still have a lot more to learn about dueling and about myself. But then, I suppose no duelist ever learns all there is to know. Maybe the most important lesson is that defeat doesn't have to be forever. You won this duel, Yugi, but there'll be others." She turned to look at him. "You and I will meet in the arena again, kiddo, and when we do, you'd better watch out."

Yugi smiled and nodded.

Mai smiled back and winked.


	25. Cheater Cheater

Chapter Twenty-Five

"The first duel of the playoffs has come to a close," Croquet announced. "Yugi Muto has beaten Mai Valentine and will move onto the next round."

Tea, Tristan, Joey, and Bakura all cheered. I just smiled. The millennium puzzle shimmered and I knew Yugi was back.

Pegasus started to clap and we all looked at him. "Well done, Yugi," he said. "Superb duel. You certainly know how to put on a good show."

"What a creep," Tristan growled under his breath.

Yugi glared at him, but didn't say anything.

The second match began and Joey walked down to the arena.

We waited quietly for Yugi to join us.

Croquet asked for the tournament verification cards. Bandit Keith showed his, but Joey could find his anywhere.

"He lost his tournament entry card?" asked Tea in disbelief.

"Joey couldn't be that absentminded," said Bakura.

"Yea he could," said Tristan.

"Aww, what a shame," said Bandit Keith.

"If you find your card within five minutes, then you will be allowed to duel," said Croquet. "These are the rules and they will be enforced."

Joey took off running for his room.

"Can't we just disqualify that punk right now? We all know he's not coming back," said Bandit Keith.

"What's the supposed to mean?" asked Tristan.

"Come on," said Keith. "Your little friend's been scared to death of me since our little run in back at that cave. He's probably looking for a place to hide."

"Joey has never backed down from a duel before," said Yugi, glaring at Bandit Keith. "He'll be back, you'll see."  
"Believe what you want, twerp," said Keith, "but there's only one minute left. Hey, Olive, are you sick of those losers yet? Ready for a real man?"

"If I recall, Yugi just won the last match," I snapped, grabbing Yugi's arm as if he were a playboy of some sort. I kissed his cheek. "You shouldn't be talking when you haven't even had a chance to lose your duel yet."

Keith scowled. "So how about if I win, I get to take you out on a little date?" he asked.

"You aren't going to win," I said.

"Then what's the problem?" asked Keith.

"Fine," I said. "A date, but only if you win. Which you won't."

"Joey better hurry," Tea said, worried.

"What if he can't find that card?" asked Tristan.

Right as the timer was about to run out, Joey arrived.

"So, you've come back to give us the bad news?" asked Keith. "Let me guess. You couldn't find that card anywhere."

Joey held out the card. "What are you talking about? I've got it right here."

Bandit Keith looked shocked.

As the duel began, I walked over to the couch and sunk down into the cushions, sighing tiredly. Bakura came to sit next to me.

"You okay?" he asked. "You're looking a little pale."

I nodded. "I'm fine, I just feel so tired," I said. "It's weird, because I didn't stay up late last night. I must have not slept well, I guess."

Bakura looked like he was trying not to smile. "Yea," he said. "I guess not. That's too bad."

"You know, your ring really freaks me out," I told him. "I'm glad you wear it under your clothes because I don't like seeing it. Back in the cave when you offered to let me wear it, the thought was so terrifying I could barely think straight. I just…I can't touch it."

"I can understand that," said Bakura. "It freaks me out a little bit too."

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Just remember what you're fighting for and you can't lose!" Tea called the Joey.

We watched the first few moves of the duel.

"I feel so useless," I told Bakura.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"I'm here for pretty much no reason," I said. "Pegasus invited me here to throw Kaiba off his game. I can't play duel monsters and I had to watch Kaiba and Mokuba be stolen right out from under my nose. I can't even do anything to get them back. I just feel useless."

"You shouldn't," said Bakura. "Everyone is glad that you're here. Plus, Kaiba knows you would have helped if you could have. And you tried to save Mokuba."

"Yea, I guess that's true," I said. I turned to face Bakura. "Do you remember anything from the duel when the spirit of your millennium ring took us into the shadow realm?"

"Not really," said Bakura. "I don't remember anything until I was played on the dueling field as the change of heart card."  
I paused for a minute. "That sounds so weird," I said. "A year ago if someone had told me I'd be on an island in the middle of nowhere watching people play a card game in a tournament created by a nut job with a magical metal eye, I would have called the police. If you would have added in that half my friends would have magical powers and I'd start hearing people's thoughts, I would have escorted you to an insane asylum. It's just crazy that there's an evil spirit inside of your ring that can turn you into a playing card."

"Yes, well, he's very powerful," said Bakura, frowning. "I've felt his power and it's stronger than any of you realize. He is an ancient spirit and I can't do anything to stop him when he takes over." He quickly added, "I only hope he really was banished from my ring."

"Me too," I agreed. "It's funny that you call him an ancient spirit because that's what he called me."

"What?" asked Bakura. "When?"

"When you were a playing card," I said, smirking. "In the shadow realm he spoke to the spirit of Yugi's puzzle. He told him that I was an ancient spirit and that I had great power. When we were in the shadow realm, he…drank some of the blood from my cut," I said, motioning to the scar on my cheek. "Since then, I've been able to sense millennium items and hear the thoughts of those who use them."

"I…he…drank your blood?" asked Bakura, making a face.

"Well, I guess it was technically your body," I said. "Which is even stranger."

"I wonder what he meant by an ancient spirit," said Bakura.

"I'm not sure," I said. "But the spirit in the millennium puzzle and the millennium ring are ancient too. I know they are. I wonder if maybe I knew them in a past life or something like that. I've never believed in that stuff, but after all I've seen the last few weeks, I guess anything it possible."

"You're becoming more and more pale," Bakura whispered to me. "Maybe you should go back to your room and rest."

I nodded my head. "Yea, you're right," I said. "I think I will, but just so you know, Joey's going to win and Keith is cheating."

I lay down in bed for about thirty minutes, when I realized I was never going to be able to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kaiba's blank eyes or evil Bakura from the Millennium Ring. I couldn't stand those images in my head, so I got up and headed back up to the dueling arena, just in time to see Bandit Keith's life points drop to zero.

"Yea!" Tristan cheered.

"This duel doesn't count!" Bandit Keith yelled, slamming his hands down on the platform.

I jumped and Bakura snickered a little bit.

"Shut up," I muttered.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Nightmares," I explained.

"Doesn't count? What is he talking about?" Tristan demanded.

"Keith just doesn't know when to quit," said Tea.

"The entry card Joey showed to play in this match wasn't even his," said Bandit Keith. "Therefore the duel shouldn't count and he ought to be disqualified right here."

"He's right," said Joey. "My card was missing so Mai gave me hers. But, tell me, Keith. How could you have known that this wasn't my card? I'm all ears. Why don't you explain yourself?"

"He doesn't need to," said Pegasus. "It's clear that Keith stole Joey's card. That's why he was so certain that you would never be able to find it."

"You son of a bitch," said Joey. "I knew it!"

"What a cheat!" Tea exclaimed.

"Then Keith ought to be disqualified, not Joey," said Tristan.

I laughed, drawing everyone's stare. I shrugged. "It just seemed funny for some reason," I said.

"Oh, Keith ought to be disqualified alright," said Pegasus. "But not just for what he did outside the dueling ring. There was quite a bit of misconduct taking place during the match that I observed as well." His millennium eye glittered and I could almost ignore the headache.

"Is that so, Keith?" asked Joey, looking pissed.

"Oh yes," said Pegasus. "Keith kept his set of seven completed cards beneath his wristband. That way he could power up his slot machine monster whenever he wanted to."

"Man, Keith, that's low," said Joey.

"Take the scoundrel away," Pegasus ordered his men. "Far away." Two men escorted Keith out. Pegasus clapped for Joey. "Well done, Joseph. You should be proud. You dueled quite admirably."

Suddenly, Keith broke away from the men and came running back down the bridge. He jumped and used the dueling platform for momentum, launching himself at Pegasus where he sat on his own balcony opposite ours.

"Pegasus!" he yelled. He landed on the balcony and put his fist to Pegasus's head.

Pegasus smiled and closed his eyes. "You truly are a stubborn one, aren't you?" he asked.

"Shut up," said Keith. "You aren't talking your way out of this one. Now hand over the prize money or else."  
"Oh, certainly Keith, I'll do whatever you say," said Pegasus, with a slightly mocking tone in his voice. "Just give my body a moment to recover from the complete paralysis that your terrifying demands have shocked me into."  
"Okay, wise guy. I'll give you til three," said Keith.

Pegasus opened his eyes. "Fine," he said. "One, two, three." He stepped on a button next to his foot and Keith fell through a trap door.

"There will now be a ten minute recess," said Croquet. "So rest up. Our host wants you in top form for your duel."


	26. Duel: Joey vs Yugi

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Who would have thought that the final match would be played between two best friends?" Bakura commented, as we watched Joey and Yugi arrive at the arena and prepare to play.

"At least one of them will get to duel Pegasus," Tristan pointed out.

"I guess," said Tea. "But don't you think it'd just be easier if they flipped a coin or something? Then we could get our match now."

I laughed a little. "It doesn't exactly work that way, Tea," I said.

"Well why doesn't it?" she demanded. "Yugi and Joey are like brothers. They shouldn't be forced to fight each other like this."

"I totally hear what you're saying, but that's just how this tournament works," said Tristan.

"They knew this was a possibility all along," I said.

"Well, I don't like it," said Tea.

"Joey, wait a sec," said Yugi.

"Listen, Yugi, I hope this isn't about you having any second thoughts dueling me," said Joey.

"I'm sorry, Joey, but I don't know if I can do this," said Yugi.

"Eh, suck it up, Yugi," said Joey. "You said yourself, if it came down to us we would both just play our best and most honorable duel. That's the only way we're going to know which one of us is best prepared to take on Pegasus in the final match. So let's duel!"

Yugi clenched his fists.

"What do you say, Yugi?" asked Joey. "Let's do this."

The millennium puzzle began to glow.

"Alright, Joey," said Yugi. "Time to duel."

"Your gracious host will now make a few opening remarks," said Croquet.

Pegasus uncrossed his legs and stood up, clearing his throat.

"Oh, boy," said Tristan, rolling his eyes.

"Congratulations, duelists," said Pegasus. "You're the finest in the world, and for that reason I look forward to a make that's sure to consist of your dueling best. After all, should you give me anything less, I will know." The dull pain thudded in the back of my head as his eye lit up and he laughed.

"Yugi, before we start, I just want to say thanks, man," said Joey. "Just look at me! I'm in the finest match of the biggest duel monsters tournament that's ever been thrown and it's all because of you. You got me here. You looked out for me."

"You're wrong, Joey," said Yami. "You earned your place here."

"Thanks. Just know that no matter what happens here, you're my friend and you always will be, Yugi," said Joey. "But, uh, don't think that means I'm going to go easy on you this match, or that I expect you to go easy on me. I'm ready for your best."

"With what's on the line here, they're both sure to go all out," said Bakura, quietly.

I nodded in agreement. A laugh filled my head and I glanced at Pegasus, who was smiling, but silent. His voice filled my mind. "How amusing. The same best friends who would do anything to help each other are now arch rivals, pitted against each other in a desperate match that can have only one winner. What a splendid show this should make."

"Let the match begin," said Croquet and the arena lit up.

Yami played his Celtic guardian in attack mode.

"It was one thing when they played back home and there wasn't anything big on the line," said Tea. "But here…"

"Everything is at stake," Tristan finished for her. "The money for Serenity's operation, the match that could save Yugi's grandpa…talk about pressure. I wish they could both win."

"The stakes are high, but hopefully there will be a way for them to both get what they've fought so hard for," said Bakura.

"Wishful thinking, Bakura," I heard Pegasus think. "But after everything's said and done, I'll be the only one to get what I want. Including what I want from you."

I glanced nervously at Bakura, wishing he'd heard. There was nothing I could say to him that Pegasus wouldn't hear.

"Alright, Joey," said Yami. "It's your turn now."

"Okay, you asked for it," said Joey. He played a knight in attack mode and attacked Yami's Celtic guardian. The Celtic guardian was destroyed. "I warned you, Yugi," said Joey. "I'm not going to pull any punches in this duel. I'm done fooling around. This is serious."

"Joey's really not kidding," I said. "He's in the lead."

"Don't forget, there's a long way to go, Olive," said Bakura. "Anyone can score an early lead in a duel, but only a few can play well for the entire match."

"Only the best," Tea added.

Bakura nodded, firmly. "If you get any inkling on who might win, Olive, I'm all ears," he said. "Even though Yugi's behind in life points now, we know that he's able to stay focused and make the big plays when they count. Not that Joey hasn't shown the same promise," he added quickly, "but Yugi's had more experience and that may be what gives him the edge here."

"Time out, Joey," said Yami. "Ever since we arrived on this island, I've done my best to teach you everything I know. Now you have to put everything you've learned into play. Think strategically. You cannot afford any mistakes."

"What are you saying, Yugi? Did I do something wrong already? It's only been one turn so far," said Joey.

"What I'm saying, Joey, is that in a duel of this magnitude, every single move you make is crucial," said Yami. "One wrong card and it can cost you everything you've worked so hard for."

"I got it," said Joey. "Every move I make here has to be right on the dot."

"That's right," said Yami, "because here, no one lets a mistake go unpunished – not Pegasus and not me."

"Okay, time in. Give me your best shot," said Joey.

"I intend to," said Yami. And he played Gaia the fierce knight and attacked.

Joey's knight was destroyed. "Good move," said Joey. "Now let's see what I can come up with." He played an armored lizard in defense mode.

"What's he playing that throw-away monster for?" asked Tristan.

"Who knows?" I asked.

"Perhaps Joey hasn't learned as much as we thought," said Bakura.

Pegasus smiled.

Yami played the summoned skull in attack mode and attacked Joey's armored lizard. The lizard was destroyed.

"Joey almost looks glad his creature was killed," said Bakura.

"Poor Joey," said Tristan. "He's already in denial."

"That's not what I meant," said Bakura. "I think that Joey is trying to lull Yugi into a false sense of security."

"Sorry, bud, but I was hoping you'd lay that summoned skull out. I needed him on the field for my strategy to work," said Joey. "A strategy that has zero mistakes, I might add. You don't have to take my word for it, you can see for yourself. It's my turn to teach you a lesson," said Joey.

I heard thunder clap outside and jumped a little. "That adds to the drama," I commented, dryly. "A thunderstorm is just what we needed."

"You love thunderstorms," said Bakura.

"Yea, but…" I stopped. "How did you know that?" I asked.

"You told me once," he answered quickly.

I watched him for a minute and then turned back to the duel. I didn't remember ever saying anything about thunderstorms to any of my new friends.

Joey played his flame swordsman card.

"Why that card?" asked Tristan. "Summoned skull's attack power is too high."

"Not once Joey plays that," said Bakura, who was watching the game intently.

Joey held up a magic card called the shield and sword card. He put it into play.

"The shield and sword card flips each monsters attack points with their defense points," Bakura explained.

"I get it now," said Tristan. "Clever move."

Joey attacked and the summoned skull was destroyed.

"Well played, Joey," said Yami.

"Thanks, but that's nothing compared to some of the other moves I have ready," said Joey.

"I look forward to them, Joey, but remember you aren't the only one with powerful moves ready to play," said Yami.

"Bring 'em on, pal," said Joey.

"Great," Tea murmured, looking sadly down on her two friends.

Yami played curse of dragon and used a magic card to fuse him with Gaia the fierce knight. Now he had Gaia the dragon champion, who promptly destroyed Joey's swordsman.

"Oh, no," Tea cried.

"See, this is what I meant," said Bakura. "Yugi keeps a razor sharp focus and he makes the big moves when they count. I guess now we'll see if Joey can do the same."

"How can Joey make a big play with that dragon champion out there?" asked Tristan.

"It's not about what's out," said Bakura. "Joey just needs to be able to maintain his focus, even while he's being attacked by his best friend."

"You know a lot about this game," I said.

"Yea, and you don't," said Bakura, grinning.

"I think Yugi and Joey are pushing each other to do their best," said Tea.

"I agree," I said. "They want each other to do their best now so that they'll be at their best when they face Pegasus."

"So even though they're forced to fight against each other, they've still found a way to help each other," said Bakura.

Joey drew another card and studied his hand.

The thunder sounded a second time and a flash of lightning lit the hallway.

"Your dragon champ's done for," said Joey.

"Joey must have something planned," said Bakura.

Joey summoned the red eyes black dragon in attack mode and played a card called grave robber to steal a monster from Yami's graveyard. Joey took Yami's summoned skull. Thirdly, Joey played the copy cat card, which copied any card Yami had on the field. He copied the polymerization card. He used it to combine the red eyes and the summoned skull, creating the black skull dragon.

"Superb!" said Pegasus, clapping.

It was Tristan's scowl that let me know Pegasus had spoken out loud. I was having troubling telling when he did and when it was just in my head.

"Alright, brace yourself," said Joey. He attacked Yami's dragon champion and it was destroyed. "You gotta admit, Yugi that was a pretty sweet move I made."

Yami didn't respond.

I heard the rain start to fall outside.

"The game is really too close," said Tea.

"Yea," Tristan agreed. "They're both playing really well. Either one of them could win."

Yami drew a card and smiled.

"Go ahead and toss it, Yugi," said Joey. "I know your cards by heart.  
"True," said Yami. "You'll also know it's my favorite." He played the dark magician in attack mode and used the magic card, magical hats, to conceal him.

Joey grimaced. "I usually like this trick," he commented.

"Nice move," I said.

"That'll sure slow Joey down," said Tristan.

"Your pick, Joey," said Yami. "Which hat do you think conceals the dark magician?"

Joey attacked one of the hats.

The dark magician was still hidden.

"That may have been Joey's last shot," said Tristan, thoughtfully. "Whenever a duelist gives Yugi time to recover, he comes back stronger than ever."

"But if Joey loses, how can he save his sister?" I asked. "Being an only child, it's hard to understand, but even I know his sister means everything to him."

"No matter who wins this game, somebody loses everything," said Bakura.

Tea looked close to tears.

Before Joey's turn ended, he played some lizard in attack mode that was much weaker than the dark magician. He was trying to make Yami draw out the dark magician so that Joey could counter attack with his dark skull.

"Sorry, Joey, but I'm not going to fall for that one. Instead, I'll put this card inside one of the magical hats and end my turn," said Yami.

Joey frowned.

"Time to pick another hat, Joey," said Yugi.

After thinking for a minute, Joey sighed and attacked another hat.

Nothing was beneath the hat.

"That's the way life goes, Joey," I heard Pegasus think. "Never as you planned. The world is a very arbitrary place, isn't it?" I winced and fell to my knees as my mind was assaulted with thoughts and images. "It's a place where you can be locked in battle with your dearest friend for stakes neither can afford to lose. I know you'd like to think your friendship is enough to sustain you through any mishap or misfortune, but that's not the way the world works." My mind went dark and I could see only the face of the blonde woman from the portrait in the dining hall. "The world is a place where fate intervenes when you least expect it. It has consequences can turn your world upside down." Suddenly, I was seeing through Pegasus's eyes. Or at least, I thought I was. I saw a green field filled with flowers and rolling hills. Another portrait of the woman was sitting on an easel a few feet away from me. I turn end saw her sitting next to me. She was beautiful. Her blonde curls were soft and framed her face beautifully. Her face was kind. Her blues eyes sparkled and her lips were turned up in a pleasant smile. "Just when you think you've etched the perfect portrait of your future and your life couldn't get any better…" he broke off and then continued. "Just when you let down your guard at last and open your heart, when against all odds you've found that one most special person in all the world…" now I was standing beside a stained glass window and a cross. She was standing in front of me, dressed in white. I took her hand and slipped a ring onto her finger. Or rather, Pegasus did all this, but I saw it through his eyes. "Just when you find that person who fills your heart with joy, the person you know you are destined to spend the rest of your life with, that's when tragedy strikes." She faded before my eyes and I was looking down at a grave marker that read '_Cecilia Pegasus_'. "That's when life hits you and gives you a cold slap of reality to show you whose boss. The world had taught me that only the strong and the ruthless survive." I was sitting in a room now, surrounded by portraits of the woman, Cecilia, but every time I saw one, waves of sorrow pulsed through my body, so intense that it was unbearable. "In memory of all I have lost, I fight on with all I possess," Pegasus's thought continued. "And I intend to win."

The pain, still pulsing in my head, began to lessen. I felt a hand on my back and turned my head. At first, I couldn't make out Tea's features, but then I saw her. She was patting my back and repeating my name quietly, her eyes full of concern. "It's okay," she said. "You're okay."

I let out a deep sigh and felt my body relax. "Thanks, Tea," I whispered.

"I'm not gonna miss this time, Yugi," I heard Joey say. "I'm gonna blast your dark magician."

Tea helped me to my feet and I watched his dragon attack another of the magical hats.

Once again, Joey missed.

He had activated a trap card – spell binding circle. It dropped his dragon's attack strength. Joey flipped his other monster into defense mode.

"This is a nice change," said Yami, smiling.

"Yugi's spell binding circle has wiped out Joey's attack advantage," said Tea.

"No doubt about that, but it's still a close match," said Tristan. "You okay?" he asked me.

"Yea," I said. "I just had a headache, that's all. It's gone now."

Bakura was watching me curiously.

"Joey, you've dueled well," said Yami, "but the tide of this battle is about to turn. Alright, prepare yourself. I'm going to obliterate your dragon." Yami drew a card and smiled. "This is it, Joey. The card I drew will vanquish your dragon once and for all." He showed Joey the magic card as he put it into play. "The book of secret arts," he said. "With its ancient magic, my dark magician becomes three hundred attack points stronger." The dark magician left the final magical hat and attacked the black skull dragon. The dragon was destroyed and Pegasus clapped.

Joey looked worried.

"Poor Joey," Tristan commented.

"You think the match is over for him?" I asked.

"It depends," said Bakura. "If he can pull himself together, he can still win this."

Joey drew a card and his eyes widened with surprise. He smiled. "Time to kiss the baby, Yugi," he said. He played baby dragon in attack mode and laid another card face down.

"Sorry, Joey, but my dark magician will destroy your baby dragon," said Yami.

It was a trap. Joey's other monster on the field trapped the dark magician with a chain.

"Well, I'd say that last move brings us to the home stretch, wouldn't you?" asked Joey.

"I would," said Yami. "And now let's finish this match and see which one of us will duel against Pegasus."

"Hey, Yugi," said Joey.

"Yes?" asked Yugi.

"I want you to know, it's been a real honor dueling you," said Joey.

Yami smiled. "Likewise," he said.

"How cool," said Tea. "Even now, in the midst of battle, they're friends first."

"I know neither of us want to lose this match, but if I do, I'm glad it was to you, buddy," said Joey. "Now let's do like you said, Yugi, and finish this duel." Joey drew a card and grinned. He played the time wizard.

He gave the time wizard one last spin.

We all watched intently. It seemed to take a lifetime, but finally the pointer came to rest on time warp. The baby dragon and the dark magician were aged a thousand years. The dark magician was now a weak, old man.

"I'm gonna win!" Joey cheered. "Attack!"

Joey attacked, and Yami countered with a magical mist.

Joey's attack was smothered.

Looking surprised and filled with anticipation, Pegasus sat forward in his chair.

"How did you play that when it was still my turn?" asked Joey.

"With magic," said Yami. "I used a magic to powerful that it took my dark magician a thousand years to learn it."

"What?" asked Joey in disbelief.

"That time warp did age my dark magician, but it made him stronger, not weaker," said Yami. "And with age, comes great wisdom. A thousand years of wisdom that has transformed him into the dark sage, an ultimate magician whose new powers allow me to play a magic card during every one of your turns and every one of mine. The magic card I chose was the magical mist. Now I invoke his powers for my turn and draw this magic card," said Yami. He drew a card and looked up at Joey with tears in his eyes. "You fought a valiant duel, my friend, and this is the hardest move I've ever had to make." He blinked and the tears ran down his face. "But this ends now. I play monster reborn and call the black skull dragon back from the graveyard."

Joey's body seemed to slump and he leaned forward against the platform. "Then its over," he said, quietly. After a second, he looked up and smiled. There were tears in the corners of his eyes too. "Yugi, go for it," he said. "It's cool."

"Alright," said Yami. "Black skull dragon," he said slowly. "Attack."

The black skull dragon attacked and Joey's dragon was destroyed.

"That was really tough to watch," said Tristan.

"Almost painful," I added.

"Yea, well just imagine how those two must be feeling," said Bakura.

Tea began to cry and I pulled her into a hug. She was shaking. "I'm just glad it's over," she said. "I'm so proud of them both. They dueled their hardest, but they never once forgot their friendship."

The two of them put their decks away and came up to meet us on the balcony. We all hugged and congratulated Yugi. Then we hugged Joey and told him how proud we were of him. Joey offered Yugi his card that claimed the prize money, but Yugi wouldn't take it.

"No," said Yugi. "Your sister needs that money. I didn't enter this tournament to get rich. I'm just here to save my grandpa and the Kaiba brothers."

I took a sharp breath, my eyes widening. "Oh, Yugi," I murmured. "Please do."

"I will, Olive," he said. "Do you love him?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm sixteen," I said. "I hardly know what love is, but I care so much about him. I just…I need to see him again. Maybe it is love, but I will never have a chance to know if you don't bring him back."

Yugi smiled and nodded. He turned back to Joey. "Please, Joey," he said. "Use that money for your sister's operation."

"Really?" asked Joey.

"What do you say, Joey?" asked Yugi.

Joey's shoulders began to shake and tears ran down his face. He covered his face with his hands. "Yugi, when I lost the duel, I lost all hope of saving my sister," he said. "But now…Yugi…thank you." He paused to gain composure. "Now," he said. "Go and take down Pegasus."


	27. In Search of a Kaiba

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Yugi was given an hour to prepare for his duel with Pegasus. He sat down in the hall outside the arena area and began to go through his deck. We went to find food, but were back just before Yugi's duel was about to begin. He walked through the sliding doors and we stood there, waiting for him before he went down to duel.

"Hey, we all wanted to wish you well," said Tristan.

Yugi smiled at all of us. "You're the best," he said.

"Looks like you finally made it," said Joey. "You're going all the way, buddy."

"And once it's over, we'll get your grandpa home," Tea added.

"Thank you, Tea," said Yugi. "That means a lot."

"The time has come," said Croquet. "Will Yugi Muto, the challenger, please enter the duel ring? Mister Pegasus awaits you."

"Go get 'em, Yugi," said Joey.

The millennium puzzle began to glow and I smiled. Yami now stood in front of us. It was funny because Yugi was usually around my height of five foot six, but when the puzzle glowed and Yami emerged, he seemed taller than me somehow.

I stepped forward and took one of his hands. "Yugi," I said, quietly, "and Yami, you can do this. Stay strong."

He nodded, firmly, and went to take his place in the dueling arena.

"He looks so determined," said Tea.

"Take him down!" Tristan cheered.

"Put that bastard in his place once and for all!" Joey added.

"The challenger has entered the stadium," said Croquet. The doors on the opposite side of the arena opened. "And now," Croquet continued, "for your dueling pleasure, Castle Pegasus is proud to present the creator of duel monsters himself. The undefeated, undisputed ruler of duelist kingdom, Maximillion Pegasus!"

Pegasus smiled darkly at Yami and took his place on the platform. "So, Yugi boy," he said. "You've turned out to be quite the young duelist, battling your way past all the challengers and winning your way into the castle just to face me."

"Pegasus, before we begin this duel, I want you to agree to keep your promise that if I defeat you, you'll release my grandfather's soul to me," said Yami.

"But of course," said Pegasus graciously. "I'm a man of my word."

"That's not all," said Yami. "You must also free the souls of Seto and Mokuba Kaiba."

"What a strange demand," Pegasus commented. "I thought you hated Kaiba as much as you hate me, Yugi."

"Maybe I need to keep a vow of my own, Pegasus," said Yami, smiling, and I knew he was thinking of a promise he'd made to Mokuba.

"Ah, I see," said Pegasus. "A vow to Mokuba."

Yami tried not to show his surprise at the fact that Pegasus had just read his mind.

"Mind reading and having your mind read is no fun," I whispered to myself.

"Okay, Yugi boy, if it will put your mind at ease then I will agree to your terms," said Pegasus. He held up the three cards containing the three souls. "If you win your battle with me I will free these three from their lonesome prison of souls."

"Pegasus is up to something," said Tristan.

"I know," said Joey. "I think he planned to take on Yugi in the final match all along."

"He's after something, that's for sure," said Tea.

"I hope that Yugi can handle him," said Bakura. "Throughout the entire tournament, Pegasus has stacked the deck in his own favor every step of the way."

"Yugi's gonna kick his ass," said Joey. "When this is over, Yugi's gonna be the undisputed champion. Pegasus won't have a clue what hit him."

"He's right. I know it," said Tea.

Her unfailing optimism was beginning to get on my nerves. I wanted Yugi to win more that I wanted to know what was happening to me, but I didn't cheer and giggle about it every few minutes. I shook my head and told myself to stop being irritable.

"I don't know…" said Bakura.

"You can't have such a negative attitude, guys," said Joey. "Yugi is counting on us too."

"But Pegasus has never played fair. He started by kidnapping Yugi's grandpa. Going into this final match, we don't know what kind of tricks he'll pull," said Tristan.

"Whatever tricks he tries, whatever cards he plays, Yugi will overcome them," said Tea. "Yugi hasn't come all this way to lose in the final match."

"Look at that overdressed prima donna," Joey scoffed. "There's no way he stands a chance against our buddy."  
"Maybe…" said Tristan.

"Trust me," said Joey. "Yugi's no Kaiba. He's gonna beat this clown."

"They're just about to draw their first cards," said Tea. "Let's go to the upper gallery to get a better view."

"Good idea, Tea," said Joey.

The two of them walked off.

"Guess there's nothing we can do but wait for the duel to play out," said Bakura. "Pegasus holds all the cards right now."

I nodded in agreement. "As long as he has the Kaiba brothers and Yugi's grandpa as prisoners, we're going to be at his mercy no matter what the outcome of the game," I said.

Tristan began to walk down the hall opposite the one that Tea and Joey had taken.

"Tristan, where are you going?" asked Bakura.

"I'm gonna see if I can find Kaiba and Mokuba anywhere," he said. "If I can get them back, even without their souls, then Pegasus won't hold all the cards." He took off running.

"Well, he's proactive," I commented, ignoring the tiny pricks of pain in the back of my head. "You want to follow or go watch the match?"

Bakura smiled in a way that made me feel a little uneasy. "You know," he said. "It's not a bad idea, but I'm going to go check on Joey and Tea first. I'll catch up to you later."

"Okay," I said. "Tristan!" I called, running down the hallway. "Wait for me!"

He stopped and waited til I caught up. "What's up, Olive?" he asked.

I smiled. "Just thought you could use the company," I said. "Duel monsters is getting boring anyway."

Tristan laughed. "Yea, cuz you think you can see the future and predict the winner," he teased.

"I haven't been wrong so far," I said, smiling.

"Well, come on," said Tristan. "Hopefully we can find them."

We jogged through the castle for about fifteen minutes and had gone down one flight of stairs before we finally slowed to a walk and looked around.

"I think we are officially lost," I told Tristan.

"Seriously," he said, looking around. "What did we get ourselves into? This castle is humungous. This is worse than trying to find your friends at the mall."

I laughed a little. "We'll find our way out," I said, not worried.

"I don't know, Olive," he said. "There's no sign of anyone down here. I feel like we're back in that maze again."

We heard footsteps.

"Spoke too soon," said Tristan.

We jumped behind a suit of armor. A man rounded the corner and passed us. He turned another corner. We heard him talk to another man about switching shifts and watching Mokuba.

"Well, we're on the right track," I whispered to Tristan. "That's a good sign, at least."

We stepped out from behind the armor and went around the corner we'd seen the guard walk around.

We stopped and stared in disbelief.

It was a dead end. There was nothing before us but a statue of a dragon and a wall.

"Where'd the other guard go?" asked Tristan, speaking more to himself than to me.

Tristan walked forward. He tripped on a loose stone and caught himself on the nose of the dragon. It slid down. To our right, the wall opened, revealing a hidden staircase.

"Where do you think that leads?" Tristan asked me.

I shrugged. I was already on the first step. "I don't know, but kudos to you for finding it," I said. "Let's go."

At the bottom of the staircase, we paused and peered around both corners.

"With a secret staircase, they've gotta be hiding something down here," Tristan commented.

I nodded in agreement.

Around one corner, we saw a cell. The man who had passed us was sitting at a desk, looking bored.

"This is a waste of time," he murmured.

Tristan, who I hadn't even noticed move, was suddenly standing over the guy. He looked up just as Tristan's fist met his face.

He was knocked out on the floor.

"Geeze, Tristan," I said, catching up to him. "That was subtle."

"I'm just trying to get us somewhere," he said. He walked over to the cell and peered inside. "Mokuba?" he whispered, when he saw the boy sitting on a bed.


	28. The Spirit Returns

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I quickly searched the guard's pockets and found the keys. I tossed them to Tristan. He caught them and tried to unlock the door. It beeped and stayed locked. A pulsing pain began in my head, but I bit my tongue and ignored it.

Tristan tried the next key and it opened.

"Help me get him on my back, Olive," he said.

I rushed forward to help and we started up the stairs.

I checked around the corner, but the stairwell we'd come down earlier was sealed off. "The stairs are sealed off," I said. "I think they'd onto us."

"Great," said Tristan. "Let's get out of here."

I nodded and we began to run, praying we'd find a way out.

"Look!" we heard after about ten minutes. "He's got Mokuba. Stop them!"

"Come on, Tristan," I said, speeding up. "Faster…"

A man turned the corner in front of us, cutting us off and we stopped.

"Hold it right there," he ordered.

We looked behind us.

"No place left to run, kids," said the man, who'd caught up. "You're surrounded."

"Hand over the kid and we'll go easy on you and the chick, tough guy," said the man in front of us.

"No," said Tristan. "Come and get him."

A dark laugh sounded through the corridor. It was coming from a hallway just behind us. "Lay one hand on the boy and you imbeciles will rue the day you were born," I heard a voice that had haunted my nightmares. Bakura walked out of the shadows with a dark smile on his face. It was the spirit of the millennium ring. He smiled at me and my blood ran cold.

"You just walked into a world of trouble, kid," one of the guards snapped.

"Bakura, get out of here," said Tristan. "Run for it, Bakura. Go on. Save yourself. Olive and I will be fine."

"Step out of those shadows!" one of the guards shouted at Bakura. "Or else!"

Bakura laughed softly. "Or else you'll do _what_, you pathetic little drones?" he demanded.

"We warned you," said one of the guards.

Bakura held up a magic card. "Yes," he said. "And now I am warning you. Don't trifle with me."

"What's that?" one of the men asked.

"Chained energy," said Bakura, holding the card up. It lit up the hallway and, in an instant, the two men were tightly bound.

"What the hell? I'm stuck!" the first guard said.

"Me too," said the second. "What happened?"

"Bakura, what did you do?" I asked.

"Come," he said. "Now is our chance to escape." He turned and ran down the hallway. Tristan and I followed.

We reached a staircase and Bakura waited to see if the guards were behind us before bringing up the rear.

"Hey, Bakura," said Tristan, as we ran. "What was it you did back there? Using that magic card?"

"Not now," Bakura growled. "Those guards are still behind us."

"Fine," said Tristan. "But something's up with you and you're gonna tell me what."

At the top of the staircase, we stopped. I leaned down, my hands on my knees, to catch my breath. Bakura cocked his head, watching me with a small smile on his face. Tristan tried a door at the top of the stairs, but it was locked.

"It's a no go," he said. "This door's locked. Come on."

We started running again, up another flight of stairs.

There was a rectangle of light at the top of the staircase.

"Look!" said Tristan. "A way out!" He ran forward. It wasn't a way out, it was a ledge. Bakura grabbed him and pulled him back to safety. "I owe you one, Bakura," said Tristan.

We sat and thought for a minute. I stood as far away from Bakura as I could. Considering the ledge and the guards below us, it wasn't very far.

"Well," said Tristan. "Since jumping is out of the question, I'd say we're as good as caught."

"There they are!" the guards below us yelled. "Get them!"

"Well, we tried," I said.

Bakura turned to glare at me. "What do you mean, 'we tried'? That is pathetic and you'll pay for that sort of thinking. We are not captured just yet, little Olive," he said.

"What are you talking about? We're totally out numbered," said Tristan.

"We won't be after I enlist some help from the shadow realm," said Bakura. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his deck of duel monster cards.

I shuddered and shook my head. The pain was growing worse.

"I don't like the sound of that," said Tristan, as Bakura laughed softly.

About five men crowded the stairs, blocking off our only means of escape.

"It's all over," said the man leading everyone. "Give us back our prisoner now and we might let you leave in one piece. Face it, you've got nowhere else to run."

"Bakura, he's right," said Tristan.

"So, punk, what's it gonna be?"

Bakura laughed. "You ignorant mortal. It's far from all over, we've barely even begun to play," he said. "And I'll show you the cards fate has dealt you."

"Stop talking nonsense," said another guard. "Give up, right now."

"What's with Bakura all of the sudden?" Tristan asked me quietly.

"Don't you know?" I asked, inclining my head towards the millennium ring.

"Now I'll teach you the true meaning of fear when I summon the man eater bug with the power of my millennium ring," said Bakura. He held out the card and the millennium ring lit up. Tristan and I couldn't see anything. When the light dimmed, a full size man eater bug was on the ground in front of Bakura.

I could practically feel the color drain from my face.

"What's the matter, Olive?" asked Bakura. "Scared?"

The man eater bug crawled quickly down the stairs at the five men. It leapt and they all screamed.

"Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?" Bakura asked Tristan.

"No, I don't," said Tristan. "But then again, I am a present day human. What the hell are you?"

Bakura smiled and drew another card. "Me?" he asked. "Someone with great power that is soon to be greater. But I can't spend the day having fun, I have things to do." He threw a card. It spun and, out of thin air, the monster on the card sprang to life. "I'll summon the morphing jar to put an end to their pathetic whining." The five men disappeared. "The jar's magic will send these ridiculous thugs to the graveyard." He laughed again.

Tristan walked down the stairs. I hesitated, but Bakura grabbed my arm right where the cut shaped like the eye happened to be. He led me down the stairs with him. At the bottom of the stairs, he pushed me in front of him and I stumbled forward to stand next to Tristan.

The only thing left of the five men was a pair of broken sunglasses.

"As you can see, there's not a particle of those pathetic fools left in this dimension. I have no patience for obstacles that get in my way. Remember that," said Bakura.

"I don't know how you did that, and I probably don't wanna know," said Tristan. "Just tell me who you are and what you want. I know you're not really our friend Bakura. You're the one Yugi beat. He banished you to the graveyard and in the process he freed Bakura from your mind control."

"Yes," Bakura agreed, nodding. "But that wouldn't have happened if Bakura hadn't betrayed me. I've decided I need a new host."

"You won't take me without a fight," said Tristan, stepping away from Bakura. "And you can't touch Olive either."

"Oh, Olive is my little sweetheart, aren't you, Olive," said Bakura. "I have all I need from her for now. And I don't want your body either. I want a vessel without a mind or soul of its own."

Tristan's eyes widened with understanding. "You want Mokuba," he said, quietly.

"Now turn him over, or face the same fate as those guards," Bakura demanded.

I shook my head. "Do _not_ touch Mokuba," I said, my voice shaking.

"Don't get in my way, Olive," said Bakura. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Don't you threaten her," Tristan snapped.

"Don't waste my time!" Bakura raised his voice. "What will it be, mortal? Are you going to hand Mokuba over willingly or do I have to conjure something to consume your soul? I can promise you that after you are gone, Olive will suffer for your defiance as well as her own."

"Forget it," said Tristan. "No way am I giving you Mokuba and no way are you going to hurt Olive."

"You know I have the power to follow through with my threats. Hand him over or I'll send you to the graveyard too," said Bakura. "Olive's soul won't stick there, but it'll be much, much more fun to keep her around here anyway."

"I remember," Tristan murmured. "Your evil power comes from that. The millennium ring." The shadows around us seemed to be growing thick and more substantial.

"That's right," said Bakura. "The millennium ring not only allows me to control your friend, Bakura, it gives me many other magical abilities as well. So unless you want a more personal demonstration of my powers, you'll stop resisting me, since you know any attempt would be pointless. Why sacrifice yourself, and Olive in the process, when you know I'll still wind up in possession of Mokuba in the end?"

Tristan grimaced and hung his head. "Alright," he said. "I give up."

"What?" I burst out. I moved forward, but Tristan pushed me backwards. "Tristan…"

"You can have him," said Tristan. "Mokuba's yours."

Bakura smirked and stepped forward to take Mokuba's body.

"Think fast!" said Tristan. He threw Mokuba's body at Bakura.

Bakura caught him, but he was distracted long enough for Tristan to hit him and knock him out. Bakura lay unconscious on the floor.

"Since the evil spirit inside that necklace is what's controlling Bakura, I've gotta get rid of the necklace. Olive, grab the millennium ring and hand it to me," said Tristan.

I shook my head. "Tristan, I can't touch it," I said.

"Fine," he said. "Watch Mokuba." Tristan grabbed the necklace and ran back up the stairs to the ledge. He threw the ring as hard as he could into the trees surrounding the castle. "Good riddance," he muttered. He walked back down the stairs. "Come on, Olive," he said. "I need your help."

I nodded. "Get Mokuba on my back," I said. "I think I can carry him. Can you get Bakura?"

Tristan nodded and we headed for the balcony that Tea and Joey were on.


	29. The Power of Friendship

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Hey," said Tristan, as we staggered up the stairs. "Care to lend a hand?"

"Tristan! Olive!" Tea exclaimed, rushing forward. "Where have you been? What's happened?"

"You wouldn't believe it," I said, shaking my head.

"We've had an adventure and a half today," Tristan added.

Joey helped me get Mokuba off my back and we laid him on the floor. Tristan propped Bakura up against the wall.

"What happened to those two?" asked Tea.

"That evil spirit took over Bakura again," said Tristan. "But don't worry. I got rid of it. What's going on here?"

We both stood up and looked down at the dueling arena. It was covered by shadows.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Joey. "You first. What happened?"

"We freed Mokuba," I said.

"But then Bakura tried to grab him," Tristan finished.

"What did he want with Mokuba?" asked Joey. "Details, guys. Come on."

"He wanted Mokuba for his new host body," I said, quietly.

"Don't worry, I handled it," said Tristan.

"_We_ handled it," I corrected him.

"Olive was brave," said Tristan. He smiled. "I think the spirit of the millennium ring had a thing for her though."  
"That is so not even funny," I said.

"What's the deal here?" asked Tristan.

"We aren't sure," said Tea. "Pegasus was losing and he started ranting about a shadow game. Then this stuff came out of nowhere. I think they're still inside."

We made our way down to the dueling arena to see if we could figure out what had happened. As we stood and tried to peer through the darkness, Tea gasped and stumbled, holding her heart.

"You felt it too?" asked Joey.

Tea nodded. "A jolt," she said, "right in my heart, along with the strangest feeling that something bad has happened to Yugi."

"I think our friend is in trouble," said Joey.

"I agree," said Tristan.

"You felt it too?" asked Joey.

Tristan nodded. "Maybe it's because we've all become so tight, but it's like we've developed some sort of weird link with him," he said.

They all looked at me. "Hey," I said, holding my hands up. "I love Yugi as much as the next gal, but I'm just not as close to him as the rest of you are."

"If we're feeling what he's feeling, it must be really bad in there," said Tea.

"If only there was some way we could help him," said Joey.

"Hey, Olive, those mind reading powers would come in handy right about now," Tristan teased.

"Ha, ha," I said, dryly. "Very funny." I reached out and touched the darkness. My hand went through as easily as if it were air. "I think I could go through," I said. "I can walk into the shadow realm and into this shadow game, but I don't think I should."

"I don't think you should either, Olive," said Tea. "It's too dangerous. If Yugi is being hurt, you might be hurt really badly as well."

I sighed. "This really sucks," I said.

Minutes passed.

Soon it had been a half hour.

Tea, Joey, and Tristan all gasped at once. At the exact same moment, I cried out in pain as my headache flared.

"I thought you had no connection," said Joey.

"Headache," I said through clenched teeth. "Whenever millennium items are used, I feel it. When they're used for bad, I get a headache. Something's not right."

"Something bad happened to Yugi just now," said Tea.

"I know," said Joey, "but what?"

"Whatever it was, it felt devastating," said Tristan.

"He…he's hurt," said Tea, sounding desperate. "Or worse."

"He's not dead," I said, quietly. "And his soul is fine." I put an arm around Tea. "It'll be okay. It has to be."

"This is too freaky," said Joey. "Suddenly, it's like I can't feel Yugi at all. It's like he's vanished off the face of the planet."

"I know," said Tea. "What could have happened to him? We have to get to him!" she ran forward, but the second she disappeared in the shadow stuff, she was walking back out to us.

"What happened?" asked Joey.

"I…I don't know," said Tea. "Try it, Olive."

I walked forward and tried to step inside. I disappeared into the darkness, but I could feel it smothering me on all sides. Electricity ran through my body and I couldn't breath. I stumbled backwards, back into the real world, coughing. I shook my head.

"Stand back, there's gotta be some way in," said Tristan, charging through the darkness. "Somehow I just passed through it," we heard him call from the other side of the arena. He ran back and reappeared. "Whatever this dome bubble thing is its clear Pegasus designed it to keep Yugi in and us out."

"There must be something we can do," said Tea. "We can't lose him." She thought for a moment. "Hey, I have an idea," she said. "Yugi reached out to us, so we have to try reaching out to him in the same way. Remember the friendship pact we made right before he dueled Kaiba the first time? Well, I think if we concentrate our energies and try to reach him with all our might…"

"Then maybe our bond of friendship can get through to him even in the shadow realm," Joey interrupted. "Let's give it a try."

They put their hands together and concentrated, while I stood awkwardly to the side.

"Olive," said Tea. She held out her free hand. "Come join us," she said. "You're as much a part of this as any of us. You're our friend too."

Slowly, I walked to them and placed my hand on top. Warmth flooded my body.

"Come on, Yugi," said Tristan.

"All of us are here for you," said Joey.

"Remember what I told you," I said. "Stay strong."

"Yugi, we believe in you," said Tea. "And even though we might not be able to see just what's going on in there, we'll help you stop Pegasus's cheating and get you back here safely. Keep it up, guys. We have to stay strong for Yugi."

"We're not letting up," Tristan reassured her. "Not til he's home safe."

"Come on, Yugi," said Joey. "I know you can do this. We're with you, pal."

"We won't give up on you, Yugi," said Tristan. "We're in this together."

"I haven't known you for long," I said. "But you are the kindest hearted, strongest person I know. And you have us here helping you."

"Yugi, we believe in you, like we always have," said Tea. "We believe in you with all our hearts."

There were minutes at a time where we stood like that in silence, each thinking our own thoughts. We were all trying to send Yugi the good energy and the help he needed. After nearly thirty minutes, Tea, Tristan, Joey, and to my surprise, I gasped. I felt like a jolt had entered my body through theirs.

"Do you guys feel what I feel?" asked Joey.

"Totally," said Tristan. "It feels like Yugi. Like he's okay."

"I feel it too!" said Tea. "I think he's back." She turned to me, smiling. "You felt it too, didn't you, Olive? Something in your heart has come to really love us."

I smiled. "Yes," I said. "I'm surprised, but I felt it too."

The darkness began to fade.

"Hey," said Joey. "It's clearing up!"

"Yea, and I think I can see somebody," said Tristan.

"Me too," I agreed.

"Do you think it's…" Joey began.

"It is!" said Tristan, as Yugi came into sight.

"Yugi!" the three of them said as one. They rushed forward, but I held back.

He turned to look at us. "You guys, thanks," he said.

"Oh, man," said Joey. "You did it! You really did it! You really, finally, did it."

Tea pushed Joey aside. "What Joey is _trying _to say is that it's really great that you and your grandpa are going to be reunited," she said.

"Yea, for sure," said Joey. "But, also, Yugi…"

"Also," Tristan interrupted. "We wanted to say how impressed we are with you for being so brave an all."

"Yea, impressed, and…" Joey tried again.

"_And_ we're proud of you too," said Tea.

"Ah! You guys are stealing everything I was gonna say!" Joey complained loudly.

"So then talk," said Tea.

"Eh, forget it," said Joey. "Who cares? He won. Yugi won!"

"We all won," said Yugi. "Thanks, guys."

"Wait," I said, stepping forward. "Let's not forget, this isn't over until Pegasus releases everyone's soul like he promised."

"Olive's right," said Joey.

"So then let's go grab the creep," said Tristan.

We all turned to look, but Pegasus was gone.

"He's gone!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Why am I not surprised by this?" asked Joey.

"That slippery double-crossing snake!" Tristan said. "Let's go find him."  
"But we can't just leave Mokuba and Bakura here all alone," Tea pointed out.

"Hey, up here!" We heard a voice and we looked up. Bakura was waving to us from the balcony. "Hello! Hey!" He was smiling and I'd never realized how beautiful his eyes were when they weren't filled with evil until this moment.

"Hey there," said Tristan. "Feeling back to normal?"

"What?" asked Bakura. "Have I not been normal, Tristan?"

Tristan looked at me. "He must not be able to remember anything," he said.

"Maybe it's for the best," I said.

"That weird ring you wear around your neck was making you act like a real freak again," said Tristan.

"Oh, no," said Bakura.

"His millennium ring?" asked Yugi. "Where is it now?"

"Gone," I said. "Tristan chucked it as far away as he could."

"Oh well," said Bakura. "If it was making me act weird, then I guess it was for the best, but I feel fine now."

"Well, if you're okay, could you watch Mokuba for us?" asked Tea.

"Sure," said Bakura. "I suppose."

"Thanks," said Yugi.

"Good, now let's go and find that creep, Pegasus," said Joey. "After all, he made a promise to free those souls and he's gonna keep it."

We turned to leave. I followed. I turned back to wave goodbye to Bakura. By some terrible trick of light, I could have sworn I saw the evil Bakura standing there. When I looked again, it was just Bakura. He smiled and waved goodbye.


	30. A Mind Unlocked

Chapter Thirty

The five of us raced through the castle as fast as we could. We threw open every door we passed, looking inside to see if Pegasus was there. I was surprised that Pegasus had disappeared. I'd personally deemed him a man who kept his word, but I had to admit he _was _a liar and a cheat.

"Don't worry, Yugi. He couldn't have gotten far," said Joey.

"We have to find him," said Yugi, looking worried as we ran. "Pegasus is the only one who can restore Grandpa's soul."

"Wait a minute," said Tea, coming to a sudden stop. She was staring at something.

"Why? What's the matter, Tea?" asked Yugi.

"That tower…" she said. "It looks…"

"Yea? Go on," Yugi pressed.

"I think I've been there before with Tristan and Olive and Bakura," she said. "I vaguely recall a secret room – Pegasus's sanctuary. Maybe it was just a dream, but…"

"Only if we were both dreaming," said Tristan. "Remember anything Olive?"

I nodded. "I'm starting to remember it too," I said, frowning.

"Pegasus fought with Bakura and then Bakura's evil spirit came out. But why did we forget?" asked Tristan.

I shuddered. "Bakura's evil spirit can do much worse than cause memory loss, I'm sure," I said.

"I bet he cast a spell on you!" Joey exclaimed.

"Well, we remember now," I said.

"Let's go," said Tea, taking off towards the tower.

We followed her at a run. As we ran, I let out a cry of pain as my head started to hurt.

"It's all over. Everything I've struggled to obtain is now beyond my grasp. Keeping their souls will not serve me now," I heard Pegasus think. "Besides, I'm a man of my word. Because of the defeat I suffered at the hand of Yugi and the mysterious spirit if his millennium puzzle, I am duty bound to fulfill my pledge. And so, I release these three souls."

The pain in my head intensified for a split second and then, suddenly, was gone as if it had never been there.

"I'm sorry, Cecilia," I heard this train of thought continue, "but I have failed you. My attempts to take over Kaiba corps. My efforts to get all the millennium items. It was all done for you in the hope that I could restore you, body and soul."

And the pain returned as another voice entered my thoughts.

"How sweet," Bakura sneered.

"Bakura," I heard Pegasus say in surprise. "I remember now! You're the one who possesses the millennium ring."

"Yes and I intend to have all the millennium items," said Bakura. "Care to wager yours on a shadow game?"

"Bakura's in the tower," I said, quietly. "So it wasn't a trick of the light, the evil spirit _is_ still inside of him." I tripped and fell as my head began to hurt so badly that my entire body erupted in pain.

"You have lost," I heard Bakura tell Pegasus. "You're an amateur compared to someone who has played for centuries."

"Centuries?" Pegasus asked. "Who are you?"

"I am the one who will possess al the millennium items," said Bakura. "Using their combined might, I will control the world. Now, you have lost the game and so I am entitled to take your millennium item, just like you planned to take Yugi's."

Yugi stopped and helped me to my feet.

Just as I got steady, we heard a scream.

"Did you hear that?" asked Tristan.

"It came from the tower," said Tea. "Come on, guys."

"It sounded like Pegasus," said Joey.

We reached the tower steps and stopped.

"Something's happened," said Tea.

Three men in suits were walking down the stairs. Croquet was in the lead. Chemo, right behind him, was carrying Pegasus on his back. Pegasus looked as if he were passed out.

"Croquet, what happened to Pegasus?" Yugi asked, sounding concerned. Despite everything, Yugi had a good heart and it made me smile.

"It's none of your concern. He's suddenly taken ill," said Croquet.

"But what about Grandpa and the others?" asked Yugi. "He promised he'd free their souls. He promised!"

"Not my department," said Croquet walking past us.

"Did you get a look at Pegasus?" Tristan asked, after they'd all walked past.

"Who, or what, could have done that to him?" asked Tea.

I frowned. "I'm pretty sure I know," I whispered.

"Maybe we should check out the tower," said Tea. We followed her up the stairs.

Joey and Tristan stood looking at the painting of Cecilia, Pegasus's wife. I stood next to them, feeling suddenly very sad.

"He loved her," I said, quietly.

"So, this is where Pegasus hangs out," said Joey. "Whoever that woman is, she sure is pretty."

"Her name's Cecilia," I said. "She was Pegasus's wife, but she died or something."

Tea, who was flipping through a leather-bound journal, said, "She's right! This is a diary that Pegasus wrote. It's all about that lady. She seems to be everywhere."

A card fell out of the diary as Tea flipped through the pages. Yugi picked it up to look at it. It had a picture of Cecilia on it.

"_Darling Cecilia_," Tea began to read. "_At last I have finally found a way to restore you to this world. It's an elaborate plan, but not one beyond my genius. It involves the Kaiba Corporation and some ancient magic I plan to harness when I obtain more millennium items._" She paused and looked up at us. "This could be it," she said. "This might explain why he set up the tournament and why he went after Yugi."

"And maybe who this girl is," Yugi added.

"It's pretty obvious he's hung up on her," said Joey.

"_Cecilia_," Tea continued and I heard Pegasus's voice reading along with her in my head. I listened, quietly. "_Oh, my lovely, darling Cecilia. You know how I loved you since the first moment I met, those many years ago. I'll never forget that day. It was at a party at my father's country estate. It was a gala event with celebrities and tycoons from all over the world. Anyone who was anyone was there, but, by far, the one that impressed me most was you. Even though we were only children, I knew I was in love. We were drawn to each other and from that moment on, we were inseparable, you and I. You inflamed my passions, inspired me to become a painter, and you were my favorite subject. I was so in love. And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, you agreed to take my hand once again. This time, in marriage. That was the happiest day of my life, but it was cut short. For it seemed just as we said our vows, you were struck down by a devastating disease. You were taken from me and this world. It was as if a blow had struck me from the heavens. I was filled with sorrow. From that moment on, I could no longer paint. My heart grew bitter and cold, unable to accept the idea that our life together was forever lost. I decided to scour the earth in an attempt to find any way to reach you beyond this mortal veil. My journey eventually brought me to the great pyramids of Egypt; that mysterious land whose ancient people believed in a life beyond the here and now. It was a belief I wanted to embrace. I had just begun to explore that ancient city when fate intervened. It was then that I met him. He knew I had journeyed far, trying to fix the ache in my soul. He told me to take care. He said trying to fix the pain of a broken heart might lead to a greater heart ache. He told me to go home, but I couldn't. I realized if he somehow knew my pain, maybe he could help me heal it. I followed him against his wishes – or so I thought. I followed him to a passage that seemed to lead to the bowls of the earth. My footsteps led me to a hidden crypt that was buried beneath centuries of civilization. The man turned towards me and two others grabbed me from behind. He was not surprised, it seemed, that I had chosen not to heed his warning. He told me he was a guardian of the millennium items and that the only way for me to leave that sacred place was to be chosen. He told me it must be my destiny. I asked him what he meant, and he held out the millennium eye. He told me I would be tested by the eye. He said each millennium item awaited the day that the person destined to claim it arrived. He said it punished those who were undeserving. He said if I passed the test, I would see more than I'd ever seen before. He added that if I was not the one meant to possess it, all that awaited me were nightmares beyond my imagination, and he pressed the metal eye to my own left eye. The room seemed to light up and there was a burning pain far greater than I could ever describe. I screamed, but because I hadn't been killed, I was told that I was the chosen one. He said I would be capable of seeing worlds and times outside our own from now on. My eyes would be open to other dimensions. What I saw you, my darling Cecilia. I called out your name and you called out to me. But I could not touch you or hold you. Seeing was not the same. He told me that was beyond the power of this millennium item. I should have once again been engulfed by despair. But seeing you for that brief moment gave me more hope than I thought possible. Even though you were gone from my world, I knew there was still a way to reach your spirit and I wouldn't rest til I found a way to bring you back and once again touch the flower that is your face and gaze into your eyes once more._"

Tea closed the book. "It goes on to say that later Pegasus was inspired," she said. "He found a way to combine Kaiba's virtual technology with the magic of millennium items to restore Cecilia. But there's nothing in there about Grandpa or the Kaiba brothers."

She set the journal back down on the desk and I noticed the three blank cards sitting next to it.

"Look," I said. "It's the three soul cards."

"They're all blank!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Pegasus must have freed them," said Joey.

"Let's find out," said Tea. She ran towards the stairs.

"I hope they're okay," said Yugi, staring worriedly at the three blank cards.

"Come on, Yugi," I said, touching his elbow. "Let's go."

He nodded and the two of us began down the stairs after the others. Tea, Tristan, and Joey were already out of sight. The air before us shimmered and we stopped on the steps.

"What's going on?" asked Yugi, as a man rose out of the air. The man had dark skin and a turban wrapped around his head. He was dressed in brown robes. There were gold earrings in his ears and a necklace shaped like an ankh around his neck.

"He has a millennium item too," I said, quietly, my eyes on the necklace.

"A disturbance in the mystic alignment brings me here," he said, looking up at us.

"Who are you?" asked Yugi.

His eyes were drawn to the millennium puzzle and they widened. "I don't know who has stolen Pegasus's millennium eye, but perhaps I should start here," I heard him think. "Throughout the centuries, people who have possessed one millennium item often covet them all." He started up the stairs towards us.

"Stay back," said Yugi, taking a step back.

I shook my head. "You cannot hurt him," I said to the man in a voice that sounded very unlike my own, even to me.

The man removed his necklace and pointed towards Yugi.

"What are you doing?" Yugi asked, as we were backed into a wall.

The man touched the key-shaped ankh to his Yugi's forehead and turned it.

I saw both items light up and Yami stood before us. The man's eyes had gone glassy, but still Yami spoke to him. "It's alright," he said. "You may enter the chamber of my mind as long as no harm comes to the boy."

"In the past I have ventured into the minds of many people, but I have never encountered a chamber so dank and mysterious," said the man in a monotone voice. As I watched, I knew the two of them were seeing something I couldn't. I wasn't even sure they knew they were speaking aloud. "I feel as though I am in a tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh," said the man.

"I don't know how you entered my mind, but I demand an explanation before you trespass further," said Yami.

"I seek a criminal who has stolen the power of a millennium item," said the man. "It has been five long millennia since those ancient items were created by a being of neither mortal nor immortality. After the items were forged, their energies were trapped in them by a brave pharaoh. Combined, these seven millennium items possess enough power to conquer the world. Man evil men have ventured to gather these items for themselves. It is my heritage to guard the millennium items," he said. "I was entrusted with this by both the pharaoh and the creator. It is my duty to punish the thief who stole Pegasus's millennium eye."

"And you accuse me of being that criminal?" asked Yami.

"You have already taken refuge in the vessel of another," the man pointed out. "That does not bode well. But if you are not the criminal, then you have nothing to fear from my search."

"Guilty until proven innocent," Yami remarked. "That is an ancient concept for this modern age. However, I have nothing to hide. I'm not your criminal."

"Then grant me passage to your unconscious mind," said the man.

"Fine," said Yami. "I'll open the doors for you." He snapped his fingers. "You may search them to your heart's content."

"Never have I seen such complexity as this one's mind," said the man. "Truly he is an extraordinary individual."

"And now, I will leave you to your exploration," said Yami.

Both grew silent.

"So many doors," the man finally muttered, quietly. "Even though there is cooperation, something in this mind conspires to keep me from the truth. There are so many false entries, all designed to distract me from the proper path. But no matter how they try to confuse and disorient me, my millennium key will show me the true way." He reached out with one hand and turned it, as if he were turning a door knob. There was another minute of silence and then he cried out in surprise. "Another trap!" he exclaimed. "Never have I seen mental defenses so strong. This could be the end of me."

"I don't know why the spirit of my puzzle is doing this to you, but I can't let him hurt you," I heard Yugi speak. I turned to look at Yami, but Yugi stood there instead. He reached out and touched the man's hand.

"It's the innocent one," said the man.

"Let me help you up," Yugi spoke.

They were still seeing something that I couldn't.

"I seek only the truth, but the way is blocked," said the man.

"It's strange all right," said Yugi. "But I don't think the spirit of the puzzle is doing this on purpose. I get the feeling that there are some memories hidden even from him. I sure wish I knew what they were."

A look of surprise came over both their faces and I wish I knew what they'd seen.

"A door," said the man. "It opens for you, as if seeking to answer your curiosity. But why? Why does it yield to you?"

"What is all this?" asked Yugi. "What are these stone tablets?"

"Five thousand years ago, Egyptians kings played a game of great and terrible power. These shadow games were played with real magic and real monsters," the man explained. But those games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world until a brave pharaoh locked the magic away, sealing the monsters in stone tablets. But how could your other personality have knowledge of this ancient history? And why do I suddenly sense here, in his unconscious mind, magic that the world has not known for five millennia."

"They look just like the monsters on the cards we use to play with today," said Yugi.

"Look out," said the man. "A new threat appears."

"The dark magician!" said Yugi, in awe.

"Watch out," said the man. "He prepares to strike. It's another mental defense against any intruders. The magician intends to destroy us both. Unless we can stop him, we will never leave this chamber. Wait…" he paused. "This surface on which I stand may be the means of our salvation. If that other image held the essence of the dark magician, then this one must contain the magic and energy of his nemesis, the blue eyes white dragon. If I can use the power of the millennium key to unleash its might, it will obliterate the magician."

"No, stop!" said Yugi.

"Why should I?" asked the man.

"Because the magician would never hurt me," said Yugi. "Dark magician, we are not intruders. Don't you recognize me? Stand aside and let us leave in peace. We will not reveal the hidden secrets. You know me. You trust me."

"What's this?" the man asked. "The dark magician, who in ancient times heeded only the Pharaoh listens to this youth? Impossible. Unless…this boy is the chosen one. The pharaoh and the creator…The prophecy comes to pass!"

There was a bright light and both stood before me, fully aware of the real world again.

The man lowered the millennium key. "I apologize for my rude intrusion into your mind," he said. "I did not realize that you are the chosen one and that the ancient predictions have finally been fulfilled at last." He turned around, to go back down the stairs. "In my search for a thief, I instead found the most worthy. You are one fated to unlock all the magic. The theft of Pegasus's millennium eye was but the first sign that evil once again walks the earth, bringing madness in its wake. As in ancient times, chaos once more threatens to envelop an unsuspecting world. Only he who solved the millennium puzzle can save it." He started down the stairs.

"Yea, what do you mean?" asked Yugi. "Is there anything else you can tell me about this?"

"Take great care," said the man. "Be on your guard, for whoever the thief is, he will also come seeking your millennium item." He looked at me and I met his gaze. "And, Priestess," he said. "Watch out for this boy and the spirit while you can. I hope that you will join me in the ancient land someday soon."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Wait!" said Yugi. "Don't go, I've got a lot more questions."

The air shimmered and lit up brightly once again and the man began to disappear.

"Who are you?" asked Yugi.

"My name is Shadi," we heard his voice echo through the room as the light began to disappear, "and I am certain that we will meet again another day. But until then, stay true to your destiny. Trust the spirit of your puzzle and trust the priestess who has come to you. Remember, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders."


	31. Souls Restored

Chapter Thirty-One

We entered the dueling arena and called up to Bakura.

"Hey! Is everything okay up there?" asked Joey.

"Yes," said Bakura. "I'm with Mokuba. He's coming around."

"Is he okay?" I asked, feeling like I could barely breathe.

"So, his soul's back in his body," said Joey.

"That's a relief," said Tea.

When we reached them and I saw Mokuba, I stopped in my tracks. He smiled weakly at me and then gave me a hug. I felt tears run down my face. "You're okay," I said. "Oh, Mokuba, I'm so sorry. I failed you twice. I'm just glad you're okay."

Mokuba nodded. "I am," he said. He touched the scar on my face. "What happened?" he asked.

"Olive went crazy and ran through the forest screaming after Chemo took you back to the castle," said Joey. "She got all sorts of cut up."

"I'm sorry, Olive," said Mokuba.

"Don't worry about it," I said, grinning. "It adds to my character, if I do say so myself."

"You're really alright?" asked Yugi.

"Yea, he's fine," said Bakura.

"Who would have believed Pegasus would keep his word," said Tristan.

"Yea, go figure," said Yugi. "So, how are you doing, Mokuba? Are you feeling up to getting off this island?"

"Not without Seto," said Mokuba. "Where's my big brother?"

"He's somewhere in this castle. We'll find him," said Yugi. "I bet he already knows you're safe."

"Yugi, Joey," said Croquet, approaching us. "Due to his illness, Mister Pegasus will be unable to attend."

"If you ask me, it's just a lame excuse to avoid paying off on the prizes," said Joey.

"All prizes are still to be awarded," said Croquet. "Yugi has already received his agreed upon award of three freed souls, but," he held out a case containing a duel monsters card. "In addition, there's this."

"What is it?" asked Yugi.

"It's a card called the ties of friendship. It's the only one of its kind and it was hand painted by Pegasus," said Croquet. Yugi took the card. "I was instructed to hand deliver it to Yugi Muto. You are now, officially, the king of games." Croquet reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope and held it out. "This contains a check for the prize money won by Yugi in his duel with Joey Wheeler."

"It's all yours, Joey," said Yugi. "Just like I promised."

Joey took the envelope. "You're the best, Yugi," said Joey.

"Three million dollars!" Tea exclaimed.

I smiled. 'For your sister's operation," I added.

"We've been apart for so long," said Joey, "but now I can save her from going blind."

"That's great, Joey," said Yugi.

"Now," said Croquet, "we'd like you all to leave."

"This should mean that Grandpa's recovering too," said Yugi, smiling. "I can't wait to get him out of that hospital."

Bakura and I helped Mokuba up and the seven of us gathered our things and walked out to the courtyard.

"Seto!" Mokuba called. "Big brother! Seto! It's me, Mokuba! Where are you?"

"The castle's huge, Kaiba could be almost anywhere," Yugi said.

But then the castle gates opened, and there he stood. He saw Mokuba and smiled.

I felt my breath catch and I smiled. I knew whatever Mokuba was feeling what ten times what I was.

"It's him!" Mokuba exclaimed, running to meet him.

Kaiba pulled Mokuba into a tight hug. Mokuba was crying.

"It's alright," Kaiba said to his brother.

"Come on," said Joey, wiping at his eyes. "Let's not get all mushy. I can't take it."

Kaiba crouched down so he and Mokuba were eye to eye.  
"Oh, Seto, I didn't know what happened to you, but I never stopped thinking of you, big brother," said Mokuba.

"I know," said Seto. "I would have risked anything to save you, Mokuba."

"Yugi told me you risked a lot," said Mokuba. "And now we're together again, Seto."

"So what do you say little brother? Are you ready for me to take you back home where we both belong?" asked Kaiba.

"You bet," said Mokuba.

Kaiba straightened up and took Mokuba's hand. "Thank you, Yugi," he said. "Thank you for saving mine and Mokuba's soul. It means everything to me."

"How could I do anything else?" asked Yugi.

"And I am grateful," said Kaiba. "But because of our circumstances, our last duel was not really conclusive."

"Yes, you're right," said Yugi.

"One day, we will meet in the arena again to decide which of us is truly the better duelist, and one of us will walk away with pride," said Kaiba. He turned to me and said, "Olive, thank you for what you did too and I'm sorry for everything. Would you like to catch a ride home with us? I think we have a lot to talk about."

"Sure," I said, nodding. "I'll meet you there."

Kaiba nodded. "Come on, Mokuba," he said. "Let's go. My copter's waiting."

"You did it," I heard Yami's voice. When I looked at Yugi, it was only Yugi that I saw. The others didn't seem to have noticed and I knew then than I was hearing thoughts once again. "You saved everyone."

"We both did," Yugi replied to the spirit. "And I don't even know your name."

"I've been called many things through the ages. Pharaoh. Yu-Gi-Oh. I've been known as Yami," said Yami.

"That's what Olive started calling me whenever you're helping me duel," Yugi said.

"I believe Olive is connected to all of this, somehow," Yami said. "I believe she is connected to us and drawn to the items in some way. In fact, I believe she is listening in on our thoughts right now."

Yugi looked at me and I blushed and looked away.

He laughed. "Well Yami," he said to the spirit in the puzzle. "I'm proud to call you my friend."

"Good," said Yami. "Because I'm proud to be one."

"I just thought of something," Joey said, suddenly. "All the boats have left. How are we supposed to get off this island?  
I laughed. "Come on, guys," I said. "I'm sure Kaiba won't mind a few stowaways."

We hurried to the helicopter and got on board.

It wasn't long before everyone, but me, was asleep. The past few weeks had been stressful and long. Everyone was worn out. I just didn't want to sleep. I was afraid the nightmares would take me again.

"Hey," said Kaiba, making his way over to me so he could sit down beside me. He pushed a sleeping Joey out of the way and sat down.

"Hey," I said, quietly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "I am now," I said. "What about you?"

"I'm doing good," said Kaiba. "As long as I know Mokuba is safe, everything is fine."

"Good," I said.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked, pointing at the cuts on my right forearm.

"I'm not sure," I said, pushing the sleeves of my shirt down to hide it. "I woke up with it like that one day."

"That's weird," said Kaiba, frowning. "Look, Olive, I'm sorry I treated you badly. I'm sorry we broke up and I'm sorry I slapped you back at duelist kingdom. Can you forgive me?"

I nodded. "Of course," I said. "It's in the past."

He paused to study my face and then said, "Would you ever consider dating me again?"

I thought about it for a minute and then said, "Kaiba, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for you, but so much has happened these past few weeks. I'm just beginning to understand who I am, so I'd prefer to take things slow. Maybe we can just be friends for a while. I feel like my life is too complicated right now to add another person's life to it."

Kaiba tried not to look disappointed. "That makes sense," he said. "I wish it wasn't that way, but I understand."

"Thank you," I said. "And there's no telling what the future holds. Maybe one day…"

Kaiba nodded and smiled. "As long as we remain friends," he said. He laid down in my lap and then said, "Hey, Olive, are you wearing my shirt?"

I blushed. "Yes," I admitted.

He grinned. "That's my property," he said. "I might have to ask you to remove that from your body."

I laughed. "Nice try, but I don't think so," I said. I relaxed and before I knew it, I had fallen into a dreamless sleep.


	32. A New Adventure

**A/N :: Hey guys! This is the last chapter of this story. I had a lot of fun writing it and I really hope that everyone enjoyed reading as well. Please rate and reviews - it means a lot to me to hear from the readers. Also, look for the sequel, which I'll be starting soon. **

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two

It was the next morning by the time I arrived home. Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan had gone straight to the hospital to see Yugi's grandpa, but I knew my mom would kill me if I didn't check in with her first. I was supposed to meet up with them later at the game shop.

I unlocked my door and slipped in quietly. The house was dark, but the second I flipped on the light, my mom screamed in happiness, I hoped, and ran to give me a hug.

"Olive! I have missed you so much!" she squealed.

I laughed. "Well, thanks, Mom," I said.

"I saw you a couple times on TV, baby," she said. "They broadcasted bits and pieces of that tournament thing. But I'm just so glad to have my baby back." She studied my face and touched the scar gently. "What happened?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I just got whipped by a stupid tree branch," I said. "It's no big deal, I'm just glad it's a small scar."

"Well I'm glad you're okay," she said.

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "It's good to be back. Maybe I can get a good night's sleep now." I laughed. "I finally have a bed to sleep in!"

"Not for long," said my mom.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Olive, a letter came for you while you were gone," said my mom, trying not to smile. She handed it to me.

I pulled the envelope open, the seal had already been broken, and began to read the letter. As I read, my mouth opened in surprise and my eyes widened. I slowly smiled. "Mom, have you read this?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes I have," she said. She handed me the car keys. "But why don't you go tell your friends?"

"Thanks, Mom," I said, giving her another hug before running back outside without even changing or showering like I'd wanted to. I jumped in the car and drove quickly down the street to the game shop. I pulled into the parking lot and looked around. I didn't see anyone at first, but right as I was pulling into a parking space, Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Joey, and Yugi's grandpa turned the corner.

I jumped out of the car and ran to meet them.

"Guys!" I called. "Hey!" I hugged Yugi's grandpa. "I'm so glad to see you're okay, sir," I said. "You should have seen Yugi. He was so brave and so determined the entire time we were on the island."

"I'm very proud of him," said Yugi's grandpa, smiling at Yugi.

"I thought you went home to change, Olive," said Tristan.

"I did," I said, "but…"

A little girl holding a teddy bear was standing in front of the shop. She walked up to us and tugged on the shirt sleeve of Yugi's grandpa. She began to talk about how she wanted her blue eyes white dragon card back from Yugi's grandfather and how she was a duel monsters champion. She accused Yugi's grandfather of stealing and then challenged him to a duel.

I waited impatiently for the conversation to finish.

But it didn't.

Before I knew it, we were in the car and I was driving everyone to Kaiba Land. It was the last place I wanted to be after the weeks at duelist kingdom and after telling Kaiba I wanted to be single. Reluctantly, I drove everyone.

Mokuba met us there and gave me a tight hug.

Yugi explained the situation to him and asked if his grandfather and the little girl, Rebecca, could use an arena to duel.

Mokuba folded his arms. "You're asking a lot, Yugi," he said. "You know, Kaiba Land's duel rings are booked solid for the next three months." He smirked and looked a lot like his older brother for a second. "But, of course, we do owe you big time."

"Thanks, Mokuba," said Yugi.

"What are we all waiting for?" asked Rebecca, pushing through everyone. Mokuba blinked, looking confused. "Let's get this duel on the road!"

"He can't duel," said Yugi, once we were at the arena. "I'll duel you instead. Grandpa was just released form the hospital this morning. He's in no condition to be dueling."

Mokuba and I sat down. I frowned and sighed.

"How's your brother?" I asked.

"He's good," said Mokuba. "Back at work, of course, but he seems to be doing good. I think he misses you."

"Has he said anything?" I asked.

"Maybe," said Mokuba, smiling.

I rolled my eyes.

"You guys watch from here," said Yugi, when they finally agreed to duel.

"Wait," I said. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I need to tell you guys something before I get out of here," I said.

"What is it, Olive?" asked Joey.

I smiled. "I have to go home and pack. I'm leaving," I said.

There was a stunned silence and then Tea said, "You haven't even lived here a year yet. You can't move."

"You better not be leaving," said Mokuba.

"Yea, you're our friend, come on," said Joey.

I laughed. "No, I'm not moving," I said. I showed them the letter. "I got accepted to a group of students travelling abroad this summer. So, for the summer, I'm leaving. I'll be back this fall."

"Congratulations!" said Tristan.

"Where are you going?" asked Yugi.

"I spend a week in Italy and then a week in Greece and then we spend two and a half months in Egypt," I said. "We get to assist on archaeological digs and we get to see all kinds of places that aren't open to the public. We go to Greece and Italy first because it's a class comparing ancient Rome and ancient Greece to ancient Egypt."

"Wow," said Yugi. "I didn't even know you were interested in that sort of thing."

I nodded. "I want to be a cultural anthropologist and travel the world studying cultures and writing about it," I said. "I want to focus my study on ancient Egyptian culture. I've just been drawn to it my whole life."

"Well, that's awesome!" said Mokuba. "You're going to have so much fun. You better send letters."

"Of course I will," I said. "I'm so excited."

"We're excited for ya," said Joey.

Tea nodded in agreement. "When do you leave?" she asked.

I avoided eye contact. "That's the other thing," I said. "I leave tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Joey exclaimed. "But we _just_ got home."

"I know," I said. "It's crazy, but that's how it worked out. I leave tomorrow and I'll be gone until September."

"Wow," said Yugi. "That's crazy."

There was another moment of silence and then Tea pulled me into a hug. Joey, Tristan, Yugi, and Mokuba all hugged me too, making me feel instantly smothered.

"We're gonna miss you, Reynolds," said Tristan.

"We'll miss you a lot," said Tea. "Don't forget to write and don't forget our friendship. We all love and care about you so much."

"I won't forget," I said, smiling. "It's hard to have to leave all of you, but I feel like I need to go. I feel like this will be good for me. I just had to come tell everyone goodbye." I hugged them all one last time and then left. I drove home slowly and packed quickly. My mom had already set up an international checking account for me to use while I was gone and gotten my passports taken care of. In my carry on bag, I brought a whole bunch of stationary and stamps. I packed a change of clothes and a blanket. I would have brought my phone, but it was being turned off since it wouldn't work in another country, so I decided to leave it home. I did, however, bring my deck of cards and a small photo album. It had some pictures of my mom and me, but I'd recently added a picture of me with all my new friends and me with the Kaiba brothers too. I fell asleep looking at the pictures.

My mom woke me up at four in the morning to drive me to the airport. She helped me with my things. I had only packed one large suitcase. I was bringing an extra duffel bag for whatever I bought while I was there. I slept in the car on the way to the airport. Once we arrived, my mom helped me get as far as she was allowed to and then gave me a hug.

"Hey," I said. I took my phone out of my pocket. For a second I looked at it. I considered calling Kaiba. But then I handed it to my mom and said, "Here you go. It won't work over there, so can you just put it in my room?"

"Sure thing, baby," said my mom. She hugged me again and kissed my cheek. "Write letters to your mama," she said. "I love you baby."

"I love you too, Mom," I said. I kissed her cheek and then I left to get on the plane.


End file.
